The Ecclesiastical
History of
Evagrius Scholasticus
Translated with an introduction bv
MICHAEL WHITBY
LIVERPOOL
UNIVERSITY
PRESS
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Translated Texts for Historians
Volume 33
The Ecclesiastical
History of
Evagrius Scholasticus
translated with an introduction by
MICHAEL WHITBY
Liverpool
University
Press
T
T
First published 2000
Liverpool University Press
4 Cambridge Street
Liverpool, L69 7ZU
Copyright © 2000 Michael Whitby
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
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To Max, Brodie and Archie
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x
INTRODUCTION xiii
Biographical information xiii
Evagrius’ world xv
The Ecclesiastical History xx
Composition xx
Sources xxii
Ecclesiastical documents xxii
Zachariah xxiii
Hagiographies xxv
Eustathius xxvi
Zosimus and Priscus xxvi
Malalas xxvii
Procopius xxviii
Arrangement of material xxxi
Ecclesiastical matters xxxiv
Doctrinal issues xxxiv
Evagrius’ approach xxxviii
Evagrius and contemporary disputes xl
Evagrius as historian xlvii
Historicaljudgements xlvii
Causation 1
Chronology and dating li
Evagrius as author lv
Text and translation lxi
viii EVAGRIUS
TRANSLATION AND NOTES BOOK 1 1
TRANSLATION AND NOTES BOOK 2 55
TRANSLATION AND NOTES BOOK 3 127
TRANSLATION AND NOTES BOOK 4 197
TRANSLATION AND NOTES BOOK 5 253
TRANSLATION AND NOTES BOOK 6 289
APPENDIX I BISHOPS OF THE MAIN EASTERN SEES
AND OF ROME c.430-600 319
APPENDIX II THE IMAGE OF EDESSA 323
GLOSSARY 327
BIBLIOGRAPHY 333
Sources 333
Secondary Literature 341
MAPS 355
Central and Eastern Mediterranean 357
The Middle East 358
Antioch 359
Constantinople 360
INDICES 361
People and Places 361
Topics 383
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This translation began life in a postgraduate class in the University of St
Andrews, and thanks are due to all participants for their labours over
their draft translations: Will Fahey, the late Jordanes Grigoriades,
William Grant, Martine Perrin Henry, Mark Humphries, David
Pritchard, Pierre Poisson, Philip Ranee and especially Mary Whitby,
who also shared the labour of organization and made numerous acute
comments along the way. I am also most grateful to Andrew Louth for
prompt help and advice on doctrinal matters which has saved me from
several errors, to David Taylor, of the University of Nottingham’s
Department of Archaeology, for drawing the plans, maps and cover
design, and to Larry Conrad for editorial comments. Preparation of the
text and notes was substantially advanced by the award by the British
Academy of a semester of research leave in 1995/6, and I am most
grateful to Averil Cameron and James Howard-Johnston for their
support in securing this. Completion of the volume and publication
have been delayed by various factors, but I hope that the opportunity to
reflect on the contents will outweigh the inevitable danger of increasing
bibliographical omissions. It would not have been finished at all without
the love, patience and support of Lynne.
The volume is dedicated to our children, to Max and Brodie to show
why the competing attractions of Playstation or Pokemon have had to
be resisted on occasions, and to Archie who will doubtless be informed
in due course about irregularities in the appearance of his bottle and
will want to know the cause.
ABBREVIATIONS
AB = Analecta Bollandiana.
ACO - Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum.
BAR = British Archaeological Reports.
BEL = Evagrius, anon, translation in Bohn’s Ecclesiastical Library (see
Sources under Evagrius).
BF — Byzantinische Forschungen.
BMGS = Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies.
Byz. = By z ant ion.
BZ = Byzantinische Zeitschrift.
CQ = Classical Quarterly.
CR = Classical Review.
CSCO Scr. Syri = Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium,
Scriptores Syri.
CSEL = Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum.
DOP = Dumbarton Oaks Papers.
EHR = English Historical Review.
FHN = Fontes Historiae Nubiarum.
GCS = Die Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten Jahrhun-
derte.
GRBS = Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies.
JEH = Journal of Ecclesiastical History.
JHS = Journal of Hellenic Studies.
JRA = Journal of Roman Archaeology.
JRS = Journal of Roman Studies.
JTS - Journal of Theological Studies.
LRE = Later Roman Empire.
MGH Auct. Ant. = Monumenta Germaniae Historica Auctores Anti-
quissimi.
PG = Patrologia Graeca.
PL = Patrologia Latina.
PLRE II = J. R. Martindale, The Prosopography of the Later Roman
Empire II, A.D. 395-527 (Cambridge, 1980).
PLRE III = J. R. Martindale, The Prosopography of the Later Roman
Empire III, A.D. 527-641 (Cambridge, 1992).
ABBREVIATIONS
xi
PO = Patrologia Orientalis.
RE = Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encyclopadie der classischen Altertumswis-
senschaft.
REB = Revue des Etudes Byzantines.
ROC = Revue de I'Orient Chretien.
TM = Travaux et Memoires.
TTH = Translated Texts for Historians.
TU = Texte und Untersuchungen.
INTRODUCTION
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Evagrius was born in about AD 535 in the small city of Epiphania,
located in the valley of the Orontes river in Syria II. This information,
like almost all of our knowledge about Evagrius, has to be deduced
from his own writings. 1 In his description of the Justinianic Plague
(iv.29), he comments that he was composing the chapter in the 58th year
of his life, when the plague had been prevalent for 52 years: counting
inclusively from 542, when Evagrius records that the plague reached
Antioch, this points to 593 as the year of composition, 2 and 535/6 as the
probable date of birth. Thus he was approximately the same age as the
future emperor Tiberius, and about 5 years older than the emperor
Maurice.
The family must have been moderately well-off, at the least, since
Evagrius received a prolonged and expensive education. He was already
attending an elementary teacher in 540, 3 when the invasion of Khusro I
devastated parts of his native province (iv.26). His parents were among
the crowds that thronged to the nearby city of Apamea, 50 kilometres to
the north, where the local bishop Thomas displayed the city’s relic of
the True Cross to reassure the inhabitants of the city and the surrounding
area in their hour of peril. The young Evagrius accompanied his
parents, but how much he remembered of his personal experience is
uncertain, since there were aids to his memory: Procopius also recorded
the event, and a picture survived in the church at Apamea down to 573. 4
1 The information is collected in PLRE III. 452-3.
2 This accords well with the date at which Evagrius terminated his history, the 12th year
of the emperor Maurice, i.e. 593/4 (vi.24), when he would have been in his 59th year.
3 Allen, Evagrius 1. speculates that Evagrius may use the phrase 'attending an elemen¬
tary teacher’ as a loose synonym for being a child, but this is partly because she is inclined to
put his birth as late as 536/ 7. The accepted age for the start of schooling in the ancient world
is seven (H. I. Marrou, A History of Education in Antiquity, trans. G. Lamb, New York,
1964, 358-9), so that, if he was born in 535/6, Evagrius would only have been five in 540,
but the evidence cited for the school-age is Quintilian and Juvenal and this western evidence
may not reflect the practice in the Levant half a millennium later.
4 Wars ii.l 1.16-20; Evagrius iv.26.
XIV
EVAGRIUS
Two years later, in 542, he caught the plague at its first visitation, being
affected by bubonic swellings, but, like his historiographical predecessor
from a millennium earlier, Thucydides, and the contemporary emperor
Justinian, he was among the fortunate survivors. After learning the
basics of reading, writing and arithmetic with the elementary teacher,
Evagrius would have progressed at some point in the mid-540s to a gram¬
marian for the next stage in his education, to study the language of clas¬
sical Greek literature. This might have entailed a move away from
Epiphania, and by about 550 he is likely to have been at Antioch to
pursue rhetorical studies with a more specialist teacher. The final stage
of his educational career will have taken Evagrius to Constantinople, 5 6
probably in the late 550s, for four years of legal study which led to his
qualification as a scholasticus.
Thereafter he returned to Antioch to pursue his legal career; like his
cousin and fellow lawyer, John of Epiphania, he came to be attached to
the service of Gregory, Patriarch of Antioch (570-92), and it is quite
possible that he had always worked within the Patriarchate as a legal
adviser. Ele was sufficiently prominent and reliable to be chosen to
accompany Gregory to Constantinople in 588 to assist him rebut a
charge of sexual misconduct (vi.7). In the recurrent attacks of the
plague Evagrius lost a wife, daughter, grandson and other relatives, in
addition to numerous servants and estate-dwellers. These misfortunes
caused him considerable distress, particularly since the family of a
prominent pagan acquaintance at Epiphania was not affected; Symeon
Stylites the Younger observed these doubts, and admonished Evagrius
for harbouring such thoughts which were displeasing to God, with the
result that Evagrius hurried up the mountain on which the saint’s
column stood in order to receive his pardon. 7 Evagrius records another
miracle which Symeon worked for the benefit of one of his secretaries,
whose wife was having difficulties in producing milk for a new-born
infant.
Naturally the successful lawyer was a man of considerable status and
5 Beirut, the other centre for legal education in the East, was severely damaged in the 551
earthquake and there is no evidence for any recovery; Rome was the third officially recog¬
nized place for legal studies, but there is no indication that Evagrius ever visited the West.
6 For legal education, see Jones, LRE 512-13,999, and on Justinian’s Institutes, the basic
legal teaching text in the sixth century, Honore, Tribonian ch.6.
7 Evagrius vi.23; Life of Symeon ch. 233, the only mention of Evagrius in a contempor¬
ary text.
INTRODUCTION
xv
property with good connections in the official hierarchy as well as the
spiritual elite. When Evagrius remarried in 588, there were public cele¬
brations in Antioch which were disrupted by the earthquake of 29
October (vi.8). He was privileged to see the head of Symeon Stylites the
Elder at close quarters when it was being sent to the eastern armies to
lend supernatural help (i. 13). He was in a position to know the great and
the good: he talked to the emperor Maurice’s parents about the portents
which had presaged the birth of the future emperor (v.21), and he was
sufficiently friendly with Maurice’s brother-in-law, Philippicus, to be
concerned to protect his reputation from possible denigration (vi.3). He
was granted the honorary rank of quaestor by Tiberius, and of prefect
by Maurice, both in return for literary works (vi.24): he produced a
collection of ‘reports, letters, decrees, speeches, discussions and other
similar matters’, of which most had been issued in the name of Patriarch
Gregory, and a work which celebrated the birth of Maurice’s eldest son,
Theodosius, in 584. These compositions would have been of considerable
interest, at least for the purpose of identifying material that Evagrius
recycled, 8 but they have not survived. As a result, Evagrius’ reputation
rests solely on his major work, the Ecclesiastical History, which records
the history of the Church from the First Council of Ephesus in 431
down to Evagrius’ own lifetime, the reign of Maurice.
EVAGRIUS’ WORLD
The focus of Evagrius’ world in the History is the city of Antioch, and
above all the figure of its patriarch. Thus he reproduces from his
major local source, the Antiochene chronicler John Malalas (John the
rhetor), various reports of constructions at Antioch, and natural dis¬
asters which affected the city, but this is not straight transcription.
With regard to the Psephium reconstructed by Memnon and the
basilica built by Zoilus, both under Theodosius II, he remarks that
there have been ‘changes in the buildings due to diverse disasters’
(i. 18). The size of the southern extension to the city by Theodosius II
could be assessed, since the remnants of the former wall could still be
8 For example, much of the description of portents and other panegyrical material about
Maurice would have fitted well into the panegyric on Theodosius’ birth; Cassius Dio was
another historian who attracted the notice of the reigning emperor, Septimius Severus,
with a work on portents (Dio 73.23.1-2), which he then reused in his main History.
XVI
EVAGRIUS
traced (i.20). 9 The Tetrapylon erected by Mamianus during Zeno’s reign
had completely disappeared, while from his two elaborate basilicas only
the name and resplendent flooring of Proconnesian marble survived to
testify to their former glory, since various calamities had necessitated
reconstructions in which no attention had been paid to their decoration
(iii.28). He can also locate the monastery associated with Nestorius,
known as the monastery of Euprepius and situated just outside the city
walls (i.7). Evagrius is naturally well informed about the quake of 588
which disrupted his wedding, and he notes the destruction of much of the
church of the Theotokos, the combined winter and summer baths, and
the overturning of some of the battlements on the city wall - though the
stones did not fall to the ground; on this occasion his most particular
information is the fact that the dome of the Great Church had for some
time, perhaps several decades, been tilted out of position, and required
the support of wooden buttresses, whereas it now miraculously jumped
back into its proper place (vi.8).
Evagrius’ Antioch was a grand city, although it had to battle against a
sequence of calamities. 10 One response was an intensification of the city’s
religious defences. As early as 459 the inhabitants of Antioch had
objected to the emperor Leo’s request for the corpse of Symeon Stylites
the Elder, on the grounds that the city needed this protector (i.13), and
after the fires and quakes of the 520s its name was changed to Theopolis,
‘City of God’ (iv.6). An outbreak of plague was only terminated when
the body of the monk Thomas was transferred from the foreigners’ ceme¬
tery at Daphne and given honourable burial within the city; his annual
festival was still being magnificently celebrated in Evagrius’ own lifetime
(iv.35). The remains of the martyr Ignatius had been located in the
former Temple of Fortune since the mid-fifth century, but his festival
was upgraded by Patriarch Gregory (i.16). In this case the purpose of
9 By contrast, the statement that the bronze statue of Eudocia was ‘preserved even to our
time’ (i.20) was probably contained in the original version of Malalas (cf. i. n. 175 below);
this does not prove that the information was not also true for Evagrius, though such a
prominent statue might have been looted by Khusro I in 540 (assuming that it had survived
ihe earthquakes of the 520s). With regard to Antioch’s walls, Evagrius was departing from
Malalas’ information.
10 There is a tendency to interpret the very meagre archaeological evidence for sixth-
century Antioch as indicating a decline in the classical city: Downey, Antioch 559; more
cautiously, Kennedy and Liebeschuetz, ‘Antioch’, who note that the only relevant evidence
is that the main street was relaid in the sixth century with a slightly narrower roadway.
INTRODUCTION xvii
the revived festival may have been to enhance Gregory’s own popularity
as much as to protect the city.
Evagrius is quite candid about the various problems which Gregory
experienced during his patriarchate. In 573, Gregory thought it advisable
to abandon his city at the approach of a large contingent of Persian
raiders, partly because the city’s defences were in disrepair and partly
because the populace was in rebellion through a desire for change;
whether the new arrangements would have included a change of patri¬
arch, perhaps a recall for the recently deposed Anastasius, is open to
speculation, but Gregory felt insecure. During Tiberius’ reign, Gregory
was subjected to attacks when one of his associates, Anatolius, was impli¬
cated in pagan worship and a more general witch-hunt of pagans began
(v. 18), while in 587/8 the comes Orientis Asterius received extensive
support from all sections of the population in a dispute with Gregory;
an imperial delegate dispatched to investigate the ensuing disturbances
was able to drum up an accusation of sexual misconduct against the
patriarch (vi.7). Evagrius is an alert commentator on the fabric of, and
social relations within, his city.
Outside Antioch, Evagrius is naturally most interested in, and best
informed about, the alfairs of his home province: for example he could
record the time required for provincial bishops to assemble at Antioch
(i.3 with n. 31). His home town of Epiphania is rarely mentioned, the
only significant story being an anecdote, passed down through Evagrius’
own family, that illustrates the gap which separated this provincial
backwater from the great metropolis of Antioch: the senior deacon of
Epiphania was so intimidated by the prospect of having to approach the
grand patriarch Severus of Antioch, in order to deliver a letter of deposi¬
tion, that he dressed up as a woman to carry out his mission (iii.34). The
neighbouring metropolis of Apamea is more prominent. The miracle of
the Holy Cross in 540 has already been noted, and in the same context
Evagrius recorded the bon mot with which Bishop Thomas responded to
a jibe by Khusro while watching the chariot races (iv.25-6). With regard
to the capture of the city in 573, he introduces a comment on its former
prosperity, analogous to his remarks on dilapidation at Antioch; he sees
a world threatened by decay (v.lO).
The famous saints of Syria are prominent. 11 The greatest
11 As Chadwick comments (‘Moschus' 48), Evagrius’ stories reflect the Syrian traditions
of Antioch.
xviii EVAGRIUS
contemporary local saint was Symeon Stylites the Younger, whose famil¬
iarity with Evagrius has already been noted; it was Evagrius himself who
transmitted to Patriarch Gregory the news of Symeon’s terminal illness
(vi.23). The habits of another Symeon, the Holy Fool of Emesa, are
described at some length (iv.34), and his behaviour formed the basis for
the general analysis of Holy Fools in the earlier excursus on monks and
monasticism (i.21); two of Evagrius’ stories concern Symeon’s relations
with women, while the third reveals his ability to predict natural disasters
(the earthquake of 551). There is no sign, however, that Evagrius had ever
met this Symeon. 12 The greatest saint of preceding generations was
Symeon Stylites the Elder, and, in addition to including his personal
observations on the remarkable state of preservation of Symeon’s head
(i. 13), he also describes his experience of a miraculous apparition in the
central octagon of the great ecclesiastical complex where the saint’s
column stood: a gleaming star moved across an opening into the
northern basilica, a marvel which only occurred on the saint’s feast day,
when the shrine was thronged with men and their beasts of burden while
the women were gathered outside the main southern door. Evagrius was
happy to believe reliable witnesses who claimed to have seen the saint’s
head, bearded and hooded, flitting about the shrine (i. 14).
Outside ‘greater’ Syria, Evagrius’ detailed knowledge rapidly
diminishes. He includes stories about three Palestinian saints, Zosimas,
who miraculously saw the destruction of Antioch in 526, his associate
John the Chozibite, and the grand old man Barsanuphius (iv.7, 33), but
the heroes recorded by Cyril of Scythopolis are not mentioned. Consid¬
ering the prominence of monastic leaders like Sabas in the defence of
Chalcedon and opposition to Origenist doctrines, Evagrius’ silence
raises questions: he just may not have known about individuals who
were famous in their own province, though this is unlikely since
Gregory of Antioch had been a monastic leader in Palestine before his
promotion to patriarch; it is possible that Evagrius disapproved of the
confrontational approach which characterized the doctrinal debates of
Sabas and others. 13 There is nothing in his text to indicate that he had
ever visited Jerusalem, or any of the Holy Places. It is equally hard to
12 For discussion of the Holy Fool, see Krueger, Symeon.
13 See Stallman-Pacitti. Cyril ch. 5. See, for example, the hostile reaction of Cyriacus
when questioned about the alleged harmlessness of theological speculation: Life of
Cyriacus 12, pp. 229:24-230:10.
INTRODUCTION
xix
detect evidence for familiarity with the frontier provinces to the east of
Syria. He describes the miraculous delivery in 542 of Sergiopolis, the
desert cult centre for worship of Sergius, and two major donations
which Khusro II sent there after his restoration, of which the first was
dedicated by Patriarch Gregory in person, but there is no sign that he
accompanied his employer to this remote location. Edessa also experi¬
enced a miraculous escape from Persian attack in 544 (iv.27), but
Evagrius’ knowledge of the city’s topography is vague and he does not
suggest that he had seen the site of Khusro’s great siege mound; as for
the tokens of Christ’s guarantee of protection to Edessa, the letter to
Abgar mentioned by Eusebius and Procopius, and the acheiropoietos
image for which Evagrius is the earliest testimony, there is no indication
that he had seen either. Evagrius reports the violent ecclesiastical
disputes of Egypt in the fifth century via his sources, primarily Zachariah
of Mitylene; Egypt is a place of Monophysite discord and disruption, 14
where a patriarch might even be murdered in church and his corpse
subjected to public humiliation (ii.8), whereas comparable problems at
Antioch are not highlighted. 15
Moving west and north from Antioch, the land mass of Asia Minor is
a blank area, with the single exception of the shrine of Thecla at Seleucia,
where Zeno’s dedications were still visible in Evagrius’ own lifetime.
Otherwise there is silence; the holy man Theodore of Sykeon was well
placed to receive visits from travellers moving between Constantinople
and the eastern frontier during the reigns of Tiberius and Maurice, but
his deeds are not recounted by Evagrius. It is possible that Evagrius’
gout-ridden patriarch had preferred to travel to the capital by sea when
forced to defend himself in 587/8. Constantinople itself was known to
Evagrius, since he had spent several years there as a student, and subse¬
quently more time in the context of Gregory’s trial. Knowledge gained
on the latter occasion probably underlies his presentation of the
impressive details of S. Sophia’s construction (iv.31), 16 but other signs
of eye-witness reporting are less definite. There is a long description of
the site of the church of Euphemia at Chalcedon, and also of the
14 Cf. Allen, ‘Use’ 282-3, who observes that Theodoret regarded Egypt with disfavour,
as the place of Pharoah and Arius.
15 Thus Evagrius does mention the murder of the pro-Chalcedonian patriarch, Stephen
(iii. 10), but with none of the details provided for the death of Proterius at Alexandria.
16 These describe the church after its rededication in 562, and so are subsequent to
Evagrius’ time as a student.
XX
EVAGRIUS
miraculous effusion of blood (ii.3), but much of the chapter is rhetorical
generalization, especially the wonderful panorama from the site of the
church; perhaps, though, the detail about the imperceptible climb up to
the shrine, followed by the sudden view, can be pressed to indicate a
personal visit, which would not be surprising. With regard to the Long
Walls of Constantinople (iii.38), he offers specific but incorrect distances,
and there is no detail to demonstrate personal observation. 17 Beyond
Constantinople, in the Balkans and further west in Italy and Africa,
Evagrius was completely at the mercy of his sources. 18
THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
Composition
The precise motives and circumstances for the composition of the
History are unknown, except that Evagrius concluded the work in the
twelfth year of Maurice, i.e. 593/4 (vi.24). Evagrius does provide a tradi¬
tional preface, in which he locates his narrative in the succession of
Greek ecclesiastical historians, Eusebius and the Theodosian trio of
Sozomen, Theodoret and Socrates, 19 and then states his desire to rescue
subsequent events from oblivion; naturally he does not allude to the
contribution of the Monophysite church historian, Zachariah of Mity-
lene, whose work provided Evagrius with much useful information on
the reigns of Leo and Zeno. Basic questions, however, are still unan¬
swered. We can surmise that the death of Patriarch Gregory in 592 was
the event which prompted Evagrius to bring his narrative to a close; the
concluding chapters present Gregory’s international triumph in the dedi¬
cation of Khusro’s ex-voto offering at Resafa, his success in winning
over Severan Monophysites, and his close attachment to the younger
Symeon Stylites. It was convenient that the termination of the Persian
War in 591 and the death of Symeon Stylites the Younger in 592 under¬
scored the sense of closure. 20 How much earlier Evagrius had formulated
the notion of composing the History is a matter for speculation, but it is
17 Both on Chalcedon and the Long Walls, Allen was confident that Evagrius’ account
displayed eye-witness knowledge (Evagrius 100,143), but the verdict must be not-proven.
18 Cf. Chesnut, Histories 218, for the shrinking perspectives of writers.
19 Repeated at the start of Evagrius’ historiographical survey: v.24.
20 John of Epiphania was inspired to compose the history of the twenty-year Persian
war by the momentous events of 590/91.
INTRODUCTION
xxi
possible that it had not been a long-term project. My reason for this
suggestion is that Evagrius’ account of the eastern campaigns in
Maurice’s reign is notoriously inaccurate, and his chronology of events
after the resolution of the eastern mutiny in 589 intrudes an additional
year into his narrative. 21 Part of the explanation for these errors lies in
Evagrius’ highly protective attitude to Maurice’s general and brother-
in-law, Philippicus, but the error might not have been so easily made if
Evagrius had been concentrating for several years on historiography
and the acquisition of relevant material; by the late 580s he may,
perhaps, already have embarked on the narrative of doctrinal disputes
which dominates his account of the fifth century, but not have considered
the issue of what contemporary matters he would report.
In view of the centrality of Gregory of Antioch in Evagrius’ life, and
the prominent panegyric of him in the History, it is possible that Evagrius
decided to compile his work because of Gregory’s problems in 588: the
opposition to Gregory embraced all sections of Antiochene society and
it was the willingness of respectable people to support the hostility of
the lower classes that was particularly dangerous. 22 Thus a work whose
audience was confined to the educated elite would have great relevance.
Gregory is portrayed as a worthy bishop of Antioch, on a par with his
predecessor, Anastasius, who retained considerable popularity and influ¬
ence after his deposition in 570 and was to return to his throne on
Gregory’s death, 23 while Evagrius’ castigation of pagan intellectuals
was perhaps prompted by the challenge to Gregory in Tiberius’ reign. If
he worked sequentially, and there is no evidence to suggest that he did
not, the fact that the passage on the plague (iv.29) was written in 593
would indicate that he could compose over one quarter of the text in less
than a year. Granted that most of the first four books of the History
drew on existing written sources, and in some places transcribed collec¬
tions of documents, a period of four or five years for the identification
21 The double-counting of Justin IPs regnal years (v.23, with n. 82 below) is another,
slightly earlier, major event which Evagrius did not note correctly. Evagrius, however,
commits a number of chronological errors (see below), so not much weight can be placed
on this argument.
22 Note that Evagrius reports Gregory’s acquittal on the charge of sexual misconduct in
the opening sentence of vi.7, before embarking on ihe detailed narrative, an arrangement
which firmly establishes Gregory’s innocence in the readers’ minds.
23 Allen, Evagrius 28-30.
XXII
EVAGRIUS
of material and composition of the complete work does not seem inap¬
propriate. 24
Sources
Ecclesiastical documents
Evagrius was described by Bury as ‘a valuable source’, though it is his
preservation of some top-quality source material which has been identi¬
fied as his greatest virtue; 25 even if this judgement belittles the interest of
his own contributions, its positive aspect is valid. Ecclesiastical docu¬
ments provided the basis for the main subject matter of his work. Ele
made use of the acta of the Ecumenical Councils of First Ephesus, Chal-
cedon (which contained the acta of Second Ephesus) and Constanti¬
nople, and of the synod at Rome in 484 which marked the start of the
Acacian schism. These major collections are well known, though on
occasions Evagrius records the Greek text of material which is otherwise
only preserved in Latin (Leo’s Encyclical: ii.9). He also incorporated
some major imperial pronouncements on doctrinal matters: the Ency¬
clical and Counter-Encyclical of Basiliscus, the Henoticon of Zeno, and
the attempted new Henoticon of Justin II. Again, these texts are known,
though Justin’s edict (v.4) is otherwise preserved only in Syriac, where
one crucial sentence is omitted, 26 and Evagrius’ text of Basiliscus’ Ency¬
clical (iii.4) represents an interesting stage in the doctrinal developments
when pressure from Patriarch Acacius had forced the usurper to reinstate
the privileges of the Constantinopolitan see. 27 Important evidence which
is not recorded elsewhere includes extracts from the writings of Nestorius
(i.7), and the letter of the Palestinian monks to Alcison of Nicopolis (ii.5,
iii.31, 33). We are also indebted to Evagrius for the letters of Symeon
24 Relatively rapid composition might also explain Evagrius’ failure to obtain a copy of
Agathias’ text, which was not apparently available in Antioch for him to read (v.24, with n.
89 below). He had the resources and contacts to have had a copy made in Constantinople, if
he was sufficiently interested in the evidence and time had permitted. I have suggested a
comparably short period of composition for Theophylact’s Historiae (Whitby, Maurice
39-51).
25 Bury, History II. 182; Allen, Evagrius 6; in addition to the discussion of sources at
ibid. 6-11, note also the introductory remarks to the survey of individual books: 72, 95-6,
119-20, 142-4,171-2.
26 See v. n. 16 below.
27 See iii. n. 9 below.
INTRODUCTION xxiii
Stylites the Elder to Basil of Antioch (ii. 10), of the bishops of Asia to
Acacius (iii.9), and of Peter Mongus to Acacius (iii.17), though the infor¬
mation contained in these is not of such significance. He refers to, but
does not quote, letters of Severus of Antioch to Soterichus of Caesarea
(iii.33), unspecified Antiochenes (iv.4), and Justinian and Theodora
(iv.ll), as well as to correspondence between Anthimus of Constanti¬
nople, Theodosius of Alexandria and Severus, which he chose to omit
‘leaving them to those who wish to read them, lest I pile up a boundless
mass in the present work’ (iv.ll, p. 161:12—14). The patriarchate of
Antioch clearly possessed a reasonable collection of materials on
doctrinal disputes. Evagrius exploited these quite carefully: 28 the organ¬
ization and presentation of this ecclesiastical material represents
Evagrius’ major personal contribution to his History.
In addition to ecclesiastical documents, Evagrius also made use of
earlier church histories. Although he claimed to be continuing the work
of his Theodosian predecessors (Theodoret, Sozomen and Socrates),
Evagrius’ treatment of the beginnings of the Nestorian controversy over¬
lapped with the last events narrated by Socrates. Evagrius, indeed,
admits this and at one point corrects Socrates’ presentation of First
Ephesus (i.5). The Christological debate at First Ephesus was an essential
preliminary to Second Ephesus and Chalcedon, so this minor repetition
was sensible; in addition, Socrates had been rather benign in his presenta¬
tion of Nestorius, whom he did not regard as strictly heretical.
Zachariah
Of greater importance is Zachariah scholasticus, whose Ecclesiastical
History of the reigns of Marcian, Leo and Zeno (450-91) is now only
preserved in a Syriac version (pseudo-Zachariah), which abbreviated
the original Greek text but also continued it down to 569. 29 Evagrius
was well aware of, and indeed draws attention to, the fact that Zachariah
wrote from a committed Monophysite perspective (i.2; cf. iii.18), which
Evagrius was concerned to refute: thus he argues, somewhat unconvin¬
cingly, that Nestorius could not have been summoned to the Council
of Chalcedon, and, more usefully, includes the text of Basiliscus’
28 See Allen, Evagrius 113-18, for discussion of Evagrius’ presentation of Chalcedon;
also Whitby, ‘Council’.
29 For discussion of the author, see the introduction to Ihe translation by Hamilton and
Brooks; also Allen, ‘Zachariah’.
XXIV
EVAGRIUS
Counter-Encyclical which Zachariah had omitted. 30 Where Evagrius
had supplementary information he introduced this to correct, or
balance, Zachariah’s presentation: with regard to the death of Proterius
of Alexandria, Evagrius quotes at length from a letter of the Egyptian
bishops and clergy, of which a Latin version survives in the acta of Chal-
cedon, after which he briefly notes Zachariah’s alternative emphasis
without comment; 31 on the deposition of Acacius, Evagrius bluntly
states that Zachariah has related muddled hearsay (iii.18), and then
proceeds to exploit the documentation from the Roman synod of 484
which he had discovered for himself. Once, however, Evagrius expresses
a willingness to accept Zachariah’s views, with regard to the bishops of
Asia who successively petitioned Basiliscus and Acacius to contradictory
ends, with solemn assertions first that their petition to Basiliscus was
entirely voluntary and then that it was submitted under duress (iii.9). 32
Pauline Allen suggested that the existence of Zachariah’s anti-
Chalcedonian narrative was one reason for Evagrius to compose an
orthodox response. One Chalcedonian alternative had in fact been
produced by Theodore Lector at the end of Anastasius’ reign. There is no
sign that Evagrius knew his work, though he would have found its virulent
hostility to Anastasius uncongenial. Zachariah was a most convenient
starting point, since he provided a structure to Evagrius’ ecclesiastical
narrative for the relevant period (Evagrius ii.l-iii.29); 33 furthermore, he
preserved a number of useful documents. One minor indication of
Evagrius’ dependence on Zachariah is that, when he attempted to con¬
struct an episcopal succession for the early part of Justinian’s reign, he
made Epiphanius the successor rather than predecessor of Anthimus at
Constantinople (iv.ll); presumably the Antiochene records had the
correct sequence, and it is probable that Evagrius was relying on his
faulty memory since he repeats the error when dealing with the ante-
30 ii.2, p. 39:17, with ii n. 21 below; in.7, p. 106:30. The third passage cited by Allen,
Evagrius 8 n. 49, relates to Zosimus (iii.39, p. 139:4).
31 ii.8; Allen, Evagrius 9, suggests that Evagrius was prepared to acknowledge the vera¬
city of Zachariah’s version, and it is true that Evagrius does not explicitly contradict
Zachariah; on the other hand, the relative length of the two presentations indicates where
Evagrius’ preference lies.
32 Evagrius also takes over, without comment, Zachariah’s unfavourable depiction of
(he Chalcedonian patriarch of Alexandria, John Talaia, who is accorded a positive presen¬
tation in Theodore Lector.
33 Evagrius 9,119-20; also ‘Zachariah’. On Theodore Lector, see Whitby, ‘Council’.
INTRODUCTION
XXV
cedents to the Council of Constantinople (iv.36). 34 Because Zachariah
only survives in an abridged state, it is difficult to assess the accuracy of
Evagrius’ use of his material: the different doctrinal standpoint necessi¬
tated some changes, but the citation of documents appears quite precise. 35
Hagiographies
Other ecclesiastical information was provided to Evagrius by collections
of hagiographical stories. With regard to Symeon Stylites the Elder
(i.13), Evagrius referred to two accounts, one of them by Theodoret of
Cyrrhus, but chose to narrate stories which were supplementary to the
material available in print: ‘it has been passed over by those who have
written about him’ (p. 22:10). His information about the saint’s death
indicates that he was familiar with a version similar to the anonymous
Syriac Life? 6 Evagrius refers to a Life of Peter the Iberian with reference
to the ordination of Timothy Aelurus (ii.8), and one of Severus of
Antioch in connection with his early life (iii.33); Zachariah composed
Lives of both these Monophysite heroes, and it is possible that Evagrius
had access to a collection of his works. Evagrius’ other stories of monks
and miracles, of which most are located during the reigns of Justin I and
Justinian, were probably derived from the extensive floating stock of
such stories of which the Pratum Spirituale of John Moschus represents
no more than one anthology. Such collections might be assembled for a
variety of reasons: the Plerophories, or Proofs, of John Rufus were
compiled during the patriarchate of Severus of Antioch (512-18) to
prove the iniquities of Chalcedon, a text with wider popular appeal than
the patriarch’s theological treatises. 37 Allen plausibly suggested that
34 Evagrius also wrongly recorded the papal succession in the 570s, but this error might
reflect the problems in communications between West and East which appear to have in¬
creased after the death of Justinian.
35 Allen, Evagrius 125 (discussing the petition of the bishops of Asia to Basiliscus: iii. 5) is
less positive, but a precise assessment here is impossible since the text of the letter does not
survive in full in pseudo-Zachariah: thus to criticize Evagrius’ third citation from the letter
(p. 105:6-15) as an abbreviation of the original is dangerous. There is no proof here that he is
not quoting verbatim.
36 See i. n. 132 below. As an urban dweller and official employee, Evagrius could well
have survived without knowing Syriac, in which case a Greek version of the Syriac life
must have been available.
37 The Plerophories were originally composed in Greek but now survive only in Syriac
translation; for discussion, see Frend, Rise 150-1; Whilby, ‘Council’.
XXVI
EVAGRIUS
Patriarch Gregory could have been the direct source of Evagrius’ knowl¬
edge, though his personal interest in portents and miracles should not be
overlooked (e.g. iv.26-8; v.8,21). A number of miracle stories originated
in one of his major secular sources, Procopius, and the selection of this
material from a much longer narrative reflects Evagrius’ own careful
focus on religious matters, even within the context of military affairs.
Eustathius
The most important secular source for the first half of Evagrius’ work is
Eustathius, another writer from Epiphania, whose History in two books
extended from the Creation to the 12th year of Anastasius, 502/3 (v.24).
Apart from a brief notice in the Suda, and a mention in Malalas that
Eustathius died before he could complete his account of the Persian
War of Anastasius, 38 Evagrius is our sole source of specific information
about this author. Evagrius refers to him for the Persian wars of Theodo¬
sius II’s reign (i.19), the early career of Zeno (ii.l 5), secular events of
Zeno’s reign (iii.24 27), a detailed chronological synchronism for the
start of Anastasius’ reign (iii.29), and the Persian siege of Amida (iii.37).
It appears that Theophanes also used his account, or a derivative of it,
since his narrative of various conspiracies against Zeno is parallel to
information which Evagrius explicitly ascribed to Eustathius; 39 there is
probably more Eustathian material lurking behind Theophanes’ treat¬
ment of the fifth century. Just as Evagrius borrowed a detailed chronolo¬
gical calculation from Eustathius, so he probably lifted from him most
of the superficially impressive list of historians which concludes the fifth
book (v.24). There is no evidence that Evagrius had read any of the
secular authors in the sequence from Charax to Asinius Quadratus -
and whether Eustathius himself had actually done so either is beyond
the bounds of speculation.
Zosimus and Prisons
The last two historians in this Eustathian list are Zosimus and Priscus of
Panium. Both would have provided important information, and could
38 Malalas 399:3-5, which confirms Evagrius’ statement at iii.37.
39 Theophanes 126:10-131:17; Allen, Evagrius 139. Some of Theophanes’ material is
also parallel to information which Nicephorus Callistus attributed to Eustathius; see
Mango and Scott, Theophanes 202 n. 11.
INTRODUCTION
XXVll
have formed the basis of Eustathius’ narrative from the mid-third
century down to the 470s and his own lifetime. It is likely, however, that
Evagrius also read both authors for himself, though there is no conclu¬
sive proof. 40 Zosimus receives an extended, if somewhat tendentious,
refutation (iii.40-1), which might have been stimulated indirectly if
Eustathius had reported Zosimus’ attacks on Constantine in detail, but
the subject was important for Evagrius and it would be surprising if he
had not himself made an effort to investigate fully the points at issue.
Priscus is cited five times by Evagrius, for information on the Huns
(1.17), the origins of Marcian (ii.l), rioting in Alexandria (ii.5), a natural
disaster (ii. 14), and Leo’s expedition against the Vandals (ii.16). 41
Evagrius praises his comprehensive record, exceptional learning,
elegant style and accuracy (i. 17; ii.16). Eustathius may have mentioned
all of these events, but Evagrius intends to convey the impression of
first-hand acquaintance with Priscus, which is not implausible. 42
Malalas
Antioch, as has been stated above, was the focus of Evagrius’ world, and
for information on its history before his own lifetime he naturally
turned to the main local chronicler, John Malalas (John the rhetor)',
Malalas, however, is not included in the list of historiographical prede¬
cessors, presumably because he was not the right sort of author. Evagrius
refers to him for the translation of the relics of Ignatius (1.16), the earth¬
quake of 458 (ii.12), the death of Patriarch Stephen (iii.10), the construc¬
tions of Mamianus (iii.27), and the great quake of 526 (iv.5). Evagrius
praises his careful record and moving narrative of the two quakes (ii.12;
iv.5), and explicitly comments on the terminus of the text, as he does for
Eustathius. 43 He was not aware of the continuation of Malalas which
covered the whole of the reign of Justinian, but this extension had a
40 Allen, Evagrius 8, 239-40.
41 For the full collection of the fragments of Priscus, together with passages that can
plausibly be ascribed to him, see Blockley, Historians II.
42 Evagrius notes when Eustathius had abbreviated information which was recorded by
other writers (i.19); though these are not named, Priscus is the most likely candidate at this
point, but Evagrius gives prominence to the source on which he was actually relying and so
here mentions Eustathius rather than Priscus (or anyone else).
43 For discussion of the terminus, see iv.5, n. 13 below.
xxviii EVAGRIUS
Constantinopolitan focus and most of it was probably composed by a
different author who was resident in the capital. 44
Procopius
For the secular authors discussed so far it is difficult to assess the nature
of Evagrius’ exploitation of his sources: Eustathius does not survive,
Priscus only exists in fragments and there is no independent confirmation
for any of the material which Evagrius claims to have derived from him,
Zosimus is cited only to be refuted, while our text of Malalas is no more
than an epitome of the original. 45 It is different, however, in the case of
Procopius’ Wars, the last of Evagrius’ major sources to be considered,
since here the original survives and the exploitation is extensive, embra¬
cing both direct quotation and more selective summary. There is a stray
reference to Procopius in the context of Marcian’s dealings with the
Vandals, where he is cited as proof of a non-aggression pact (ii.l), but
otherwise citations are located in the central section of book iv (iv.12-
27), which was largely based on his writings. Evagrius compliments him
on his care, emotional description, elegance, eloquence and exceptional
clarity (iv.12,13,19).
Evagrius’ technique in using Procopius has been criticized, with alle¬
gations of confusing combinations of verbatim quotation and para¬
phrase, and unsignalled switches from Procopius to other sources. 46
Closer attention to the details of how Evagrius presents his Procopian
material, however, goes a long way to exonerating him, although it is
only easy to identify the mechanics of his composition by comparing his
text with the extant source. Evagrius begins with a paraphrase of Wars
i, and then the overtures to the Vandal expedition (iv.12—14). In the next
chapter the switch is signalled to a long verbatim quotation of the marvel¬
lous behaviour of Cabaon the Moor, whose heathen followers restored
Christian shrines desecrated by the Vandal army; there are only minor
variations from Procopius’ text, with the single exception of Procopius’
44 Whitby, review of Jeffreys, Studies, CR 41. 1991, 325-7; much greater continuity is
urged by Croke in Jeffreys, Studies 17-25.
45 In ii.l2 there are discrepancies between Evagrius and Malalas over the numbering
and dating of various Antiochene earthquakes (see further ii nn. 132-3 below), and
Evagrius’ incorrect date for the 526 quake may reflect a misunderstanding by him of a
dating formula in his source (see iv n. 12 below).
46 Allen, Evagrius 10,185-7.
INTRODUCTION
XXIX
description of the Moorish battle array (Wars iii.8.25-8), which is
entirely omitted. It would be special pleading to explain this through
scribal error in the process of the transmission of Evagrius’ History, and
it is unnecessary to do so, since immediately after the omitted passage
Evagrius includes a resumptive ‘as he says’ (p. 165:24); for the vigilant,
armed with the text of Procopius, this can be taken as an admission of a
slight gap. In the following chapter (iv. 16), Evagrius erroneously attri¬
butes to Justinian a vision which, according to Procopius, was seen by a
bishop. He then clearly marks the start of a verbatim quotation, again
quite accurate, about the martyr Cyprian; the concluding analysis of the
prediction of the overthrow of the Vandals reverts to a paraphrase,
though this is not signalled - the only indication is in the somewhat
impersonal tone in which the vindication of the prophecy is analysed,
but the shift requires inside knowledge to detect. The following chapter
(iv. 17) deals with Belisarius’ Vandal triumph, in part a paraphrase of
Procopius, 47 though in the middle Evagrius indicates that he is alluding
to his own account of the Vandal sack of Rome in 455 (ii.7) before
reverting clearly to Procopius. The last of the Vandal chapters (iv.18)
again combines Procopius with other material: in the Procopian section,
Evagrius incorrectly asserts that Procopius claimed to have read an
inscription that recorded the flight of the Moors from Palestine; he then
reveals the end of his reliance on Procopius’ Vandal narrative by introdu¬
cing the section on Justinian’s constructions in Africa with ‘Justinian is
said ...’ (p. 168:23-4). 48
Next he moves to Procopius’ account of the Gothic Wars, para¬
phrasing the background and early stages very briefly (iv.19): there are
two errors, with Amalsuintha being described as wife of Theoderic and
excessive emphasis placed on the youth of Atalarich. Evagrius then
becomes even more selective in his use of Procopius, with accounts of
the Christianization of various tribal groups (iv.20,22-3) and a perfunc¬
tory version of Belisarius’ success in terminating the first phase of the
Gothic War (iv.21); information about Gothic incursions into the
empire is transposed from the fifth century to the reign of Justinian
(iv.23). In the next chapter he notes the conclusion of the Gothic War,
47 Allen, Evagrius 186, states that it purports to be a verbatim report, but this is incor¬
rect.
48 This material was not derived from Procopius’ Buildings, a work of which Evagrius
shows no knowledge.
XXX
EVAGRIUS
following Procopius, and then clearly turns to different sources for a
description of the piety of the victorious general, Narses: ‘Now those
who accompanied Narses say that..(iv.24, p. 171:13—14). 49 Over three
books of Procopius about these Italian campaigns have been reduced to
two-and-a-half pages of Evagrius’ text.
Evagrius switches to Wars ii for a summary of Khusro’s invasion of
the eastern provinces in 540, with no indication that he is leaping back
in time by more than a decade (iv.25); here he interweaves some of his
own information on the behaviour of the bishops Ephrem of Antioch
and Thomas of Apamea, with the change of source revealed by the intro¬
ductory ‘He is said ..and ‘And they say..(iv.25, p. 172:13, 27). The
miracle of the Holy Cross at Apamea, though reported by Procopius
(Wars ii.l 1.16-20), is introduced as Evagrius’ own contribution, since he
had personally witnessed the event (iv.26). The last of the Procopian
chapters deals with Khusro’s attack on Edessa (iv.27), where Procopius
provides much of the information, though not the account of the inter¬
vention of the acheiropoietos icon. Evagrius fails to make clear that the
Persians had attacked Edessa twice, in 540 (which he ignores) and then
in 544. His introduction to the narrative of the 544 siege, ‘But I will tell
you what happened’ (p. 174:19), might suggest that he has something to
say which is slightly different from Procopius, but his account opens
with the Persian siege mound as described by Procopius; the acheiro¬
poietos miracle is then inserted, quite smoothly, at the point where Proco¬
pius describes the defenders’ problems with igniting the material in their
mine. Evagrius’ paraphrase excludes many elements of Procopius’
account of the siege in order to focus on the destruction of the mound,
and even in this section, in his eagerness to highlight the contribution of
the icon, he is less than clear about what the defenders did in order to
prepare the firing of the mound. Thereafter Evagrius does narrate other
incidents covered by Procopius - the attack on Sergiopolis in 542 and
the Great Plague (iv.28-9) - but without noting that Procopius had
described the events or suggesting that he was using Procopian informa¬
tion. In each case Evagrius had his own story to tell.
To summarize this analysis of Evagrius’ use of Procopius, in most
instances his switching of sources is sufficiently mechanical to be clear,
as is the transition from verbatim quotation to paraphrase, though there
are exceptions to each. Minor errors intrude, which a more attentive
49 Allen, Evagrius 186, strangely asserts that there is no indication of the change.
INTRODUCTION
XXXI
reading of his source might have avoided, but basic information is
provided with moderate accuracy. Allen claimed that Evagrius’ motive
for exploiting Procopius was an interest in military affairs and a belief
that he was heir to the secular historiographical tradition represented by
Procopius, 50 but these interlinked assertions are not proven. While
utilizing Procopius, Evagrius in fact created an entirely different type of
narrative in which military detail is reduced to a minimum, or even elimi¬
nated as in the chapter on Cabaon the Moor, whereas attention is focused
on miracles, conversions and other elements which have a pronounced
Christian content. Evagrius used Procopius, in the same way as he
exploited stories of contemporary holy men, to demonstrate that
Justinian’s reign was a period when God showed his favour to the
empire, regardless of the doubts that people might have had about the
quality and character of the emperor himself. This total reshaping of
Procopius allowed Evagrius to overcome a basic problem in the
Procopian account of Justinianic campaigning, where there is an
increasing decline from the great successes of the first decade to the
eastern reverses and protracted slog in Italy during the 540s. Faced by
the capture of Antioch in 540, Procopius had despairingly expressed his
incomprehension at how God could allow such a disaster to occur (Wars
ii. 10.4). To this Evagrius provided an answer by demonstrating the regu¬
larity with which God helped the Romans to victory - in Africa, as
Procopius himself recorded, in Italy where Evagrius can add information
about the special relationship which the pious Narses enjoyed with the
Virgin Mary, and even in the East where the Procopian narrative of
Khusro’s successes in the period 540-4 is offset by attention to three occa¬
sions when the Christian God contributed to his discomfiture. 51 This is
providential history, not a military narrative in the secular tradition.
Arrangement of material
Availability of material had a significant impact on Evagrius’ organiza¬
tion of his material, since he tended to insert information in blocks: in
the first three books, ecclesiastical and secular events are narrated in
50 Evagrius 171.
51 Roman set-backs tend to be reported quite briefly, e.g. the loss of Amida in 502/3
(iii.37), and Evagrius may also draw attention to the duplicity or treachery of those in¬
volved, e.g. with regard to the loss of Apamea and Dara (v.10).
XXX11
EVAGRIUS
separate sequences, with precedence given to the ecclesiastical. In Book i,
material on Councils, heretics and saints, assembled from various docu¬
mentary and hagiographical sources, as well as some personal informa¬
tion, is followed by secular notices on wars, natural disasters,
Antiochene affairs and the imperial family, of which much can be traced
back to Priscus and Malalas (i. 17-20). Evagrius’ lack of certainty about
the time-scale is shown by his descriptions of the prominent Christians,
Isidore and Synesius (i.15) and the poets, Claudian and Cyrus (i.19), of
whom only the last in fact flourished during the period covered by the
History. The pattern continues. Book ii begins with a character analysis
of the new emperor, a practice adopted for most subsequent rulers (Leo
and Justin I are exceptions), but then the account of Marcian’s reign
opens with Chalcedon and its immediate consequences, followed by two
chapters on natural disasters and the western imperial succession (ii.6-
7). For Leo’s reign, material on the ecclesiastical problems associated
with Timothy Aelurus at Alexandria is again followed by natural disas¬
ters and imperial affairs. East and West (ii. 12-17): Zachariah is largely
responsible for the former, Malalas for the latter. Zeno’s reign is slightly
more complex, in that the usurpation of Basiliscus had to be narrated in
order to introduce the doctrinal reversals of his brief rule, but the narra¬
tive then proceeds with Zeno’s Henoticon, episcopal troubles in Alexan¬
dria and the Acacian schism. This is largely drawn from Zachariah, but
then the narrative has to jump back a decade to follow Eustathius’
account of the internal problems which plagued the unsuitable Zeno,
and then Malalas on some buildings at Antioch (iii.24-8). Anastasius’
reign is neatly divided, almost, into ecclesiastical events (iii.30-4) and
then secular (iii.35 43), with the latter based largely on Malalas, though
with Evagrius’ own contribution in the form of the harangue against
Zosimus on the topic of the Chrysargyron. The final chapter reverts to
religious rioting in Constantinople (iii.44), though much of its informa¬
tion came from Malalas, which explains the attachment of the account
to the secular narrative.
In Book iv, Procopius becomes the basic source. Evagrius presented
the First Persian War culminating in the Nika Riot (Procopius, Wars i),
then the Vandal campaign (Wars iii-iv), and thereafter Italy (Wars
v-viii) in correct chronological sequence, but the Second Persian War
(Wars ii) is simply tacked onto the report of the final defeat of the
Goths, a jump back of over a decade. In Book iv, direct quotation from
Procopius succeeds the citation of doctrinal documents and Conciliar
INTRODUCTION xxxiii
acta in the earlier books, though the Procopian material is carefully
chosen so that the religious focus of the narrative is preserved.
However, Evagrius’ treatment of Justinian’s complex theological initia¬
tives is incomplete, and the Fifth Ecumenical Council, the Origenist
dispute and the Aphthartodocete initiative are relegated to the end of
the Book, the location for diverse secular material in Books i-iii. This
may reflect Evagrius’ distaste for Justinian, which perhaps discouraged
him from attempting to assemble relevant material and unravel the
connections between the various moves; alternatively, the lack of an
existing narrative to provide a structure may have been too great a
handicap.
For his adult lifetime, the events covered in Books v and vi, Evagrius
had even less guidance. He knew that his cousin, John of Epiphania,
was producing a narrative of the Persian war of 572-91 (v.24) and this
may have influenced his arrangement, but it did not provide much mate¬
rial since eastern military matters are not reported in great detail: his
narrative of the momentous flight of Khusro II to the Romans (vi.17-
21) devotes far more attention to the actions of bishops, holy women
and saints than to the events themselves. The character of leading
contemporaries, the emperors Justin II, Tiberius and Maurice, and the
two patriarchs of Antioch, Anastasius and Gregory, became Evagrius’
most prominent concern.
Evagrius’ approach to structuring his narrative had the considerable
advantage that it evaded whatever problems might have been caused by
the difficulties of combining several sources into a single account. Chron¬
ological accuracy was not one of Evagrius’ strengths, 52 and he made
serious errors in narrating the events of his own lifetime, even of the
very recent past when he was responsible for the collection and organiza¬
tion of his information. 53 Also, he was not particularly concerned about
the details of military affairs, even on the eastern frontier where they
would most directly affect his world. The only exceptions are when
52 Allen, Evagrius 15-16, and see below.
53 In Books v and vi, Evagrius exploited some documents (e.g. Justins edict; Khusro’s
dedications), but there is no evidence that he was aware of, or had access to, Menander
Protector’s History, and there are sufficient differences between Evagrius and Theophylact
in the presentation of the military narrative of the 570s and 580s to suggest that Evagrius,
unlike Theophylact, did not base his account on the contemporary narrative of his cousin,
John of Epiphania: for discussion, see Whitby, Maurice 244-5, and for the opposite view,
Allen, Evagrius 10-11, Olajos, Theophylacte 95.
XXXIV
EVAGRIUS
events could be given a Christian slant, for example the Persian attacks
on Apamea, Edessa and Sergiopolis (iv.26-8), or concerned one of his
favoured actors, for example Maurice or Philippicus. 54 Elis focus,
however, is often on specific incidents rather than on an overall sequence.
Evagrius’ problems were compounded by the fact that some of his
sources were themselves very imprecise about chronology: not much
can be deduced about the clarity of the lost works of Priscus and
Eustathius, but Malalas’ coverage of the fifth century was short of
specific dates and caused problems to other writers, for example the
author of the Paschal Chronicle, who tried to place individual notices in
specific years. 55
The conclusions of this examination of Evagrius’ sources, and his
exploitation of them, are mixed: he preserves evidence that does not
survive elsewhere, notably ecclesiastical documents such as the letter to
Alcison but also secular material from Malalas and Eustathius. He is
capable of transcribing a source quite accurately, though not all his
verbatim quotations are precise. Equally, he introduces errors, especially
when attempting to summarize briefly a much longer narrative. He
emerges as a compiler who worked with blocks of information, though
he can shape these to fit in with his own historiographical concerns and
illustrate his judgements, as with the Procopian material; where he has
relevant personal information he is ready to add that to his sources,
whether it is an anti-pagan harangue or stories from his youth.
Ecclesiastical matters
Doctrinal issues
Evagrius’ narrative is dominated by two primary concerns: the doctrinal
controversy initiated by Nestorius (patriarch of Constantinople 428-31)
whose consequences were still disrupting the Church during Evagrius’
54 Thus I do not believe the suggestion of Elizabeth Fowden, Plain 135-6, that Evagrius
closed his account with items which show how he 'focuses on important participants in the
political life of the frontier zone: Arab allies, Christian leaders, both Chalcedonian and op¬
positional, and miracle-working saints’. The relevance of this material to frontier politics is
apparent to us, but from Evagrius’ perspective it was probably more significant that the
narrative reflects traditional concerns of ecclesiastical historians - saints, conversions,
shrines and dedications - and that his patron Gregory was personally involved in most of
the events.
55 See Whitby and Whitby, Chronicon xviii, 80 n. 262.
INTRODUCTION
XXXV
life; and the providential history of the Christian empire (see below,
'Evagrius as historian’). Ecclesiastical matters take precedence. The first
chapter of the whole work sets the scene, with the Church delivered
from the pagan challenge of Julian and the heretical disruption of Arius
but then ambushed by the Devil, who devised the variation of a single
letter in order to prevent Christian unanimity. 56 Nestorius wished to
exclude the notion that the divinity had suffered in the person of Christ,
but chose to present his argument through the formula that the God in
Christ did not suffer; he also objected to the increasingly popular title
for the Virgin Mary of Theotokos, Mother of God. His arguments,
which were interpreted by opponents as denying the unity of Christ, led
to contentious and often violent discussions at First and Second
Ephesus (the Councils of 431 and 449) and then Chalcedon (451). These
Councils resulted in doctrinal definitions that sought to include as
much of the Eastern Church as possible, by incorporating the attention
to the full humanity of Christ (the hallmark of Antiochene theologians),
while giving equal emphasis to the unity of divinity and humanity
in Christ (the position characteristic of theologians associated with
Alexandria).
At the root of the dispute lay complex problems of language and
meaning, as theologians attempted to comprehend the divine mystery of
the Trinity. The resolution of the Arian controversy in the fourth
century had enshrined the unity of Christ as God-man through accep¬
tance of the Nicene Creed; this had asserted the consubstantiality of the
Son with the Father (and, ultimately, the consubstantiality of the three
persons of the Trinity), thus making it clear that the Son, incarnate in
the God-man, is as fully God as the Father. One formula for resolving
the issue of Trinitarian unity was three hypostases in one ousia, with
hypostasis being used to express the distinct reality of the persons of the
Trinity in the one God; however, in discussion of the incarnation, hypos¬
tasis could be applied more loosely to the God-man produced by the
union of human and divine in Christ, which complicated this solution. 57
In the fifth century, Christological discussion focused on the manner of
56 This refers to the difference between the Chalcedonian ‘in two natures' (ev) and the
Monophysite ‘from two natures’ (ek) formulae: cf. i.l, with nn. 12-13, and ii.5, with n. 84
below.
57 Grillmeier, Christ II.2. 505-6; J. T. Leinhard, ‘Ousia and Hypostasis'. The Cappado¬
cian Settlement and the Theology of "One Hypostasis’”, in Davis, Trinity 99-121.
XXXVI
EVAGRIUS
the union of the acknowledged elements in Christ, on the relationship
between his full manhood and full Godhead. Nestorius urged that the
unity and distinction of Christ should be sought on different levels,
unity at the level of the person ( prosopon ) distinction in his two natures
( physeis ), an approach which respected the Antiochene emphasis on the
equal weight which the two aspects of Christ (human and divine)
required. By contrast, Cyril of Alexandria (patriarch 412-44) concen¬
trated on the unity of the composite being of Christ by emphasizing, in
line with the Alexandrian tradition, Christ the Word (logos): his phrase,
the one nature (miaphysis) of the Word made flesh, underlined the fact
of unity by treating physis as almost a synonym for hypostasis but did
not tackle the character of the union. Each approach had its problems:
Nestorius’ different levels appeared to threaten the unity of Christ,
whereas Cyril’s formulation did not clearly exclude the Apollinarian
heresy, which pressed the analogy of a human body and its soul for the
construction of Christ so far as to exclude from Christ the presence of a
human soul. 58 This very difficult theological debate was exacerbated by
the long-standing rivalries between the major sees in the Eastern
Church, particularly between Alexandria and Constantinople, so that
the potential for rational reconciliation about approaches to a shared
goal was reduced.
At Chalcedon the coherence of a Christological definition which
could have achieved compromise between Antiochene and Alexandrian
traditions was threatened by the need to accommodate the doctrinal
position of Pope Leo to that of the greatest eastern opponent of
Nestorius, the recently-deceased Cyril of Alexandria. Matters were
greatly complicated by the involvement of the pope, and the importance
for notions of papal supremacy of the validation of the Tome of Leo, a
letter sent to Patriarch Flavian in June 449 to counter the heresy of
Eutyches in which Leo proclaimed Christ as one person in whom there
are two natures, divine and human, permanently united without being
confused or mixed. 59 The insistence of the papal legates on including the
language of Leo’s Tome, whose clarity and precision might appear to
pass over the nuances of debate in the East, in the Chalcedonian
Formula seemed to many in the East to amount to a betrayal of Cyril’s
theology, and led to a division in the East between those who accepted
58 Grillmeier, Christ II.2. 503-10.
59 ACO Il.ii.l, no. 5 (Latin text)M CO II.i.1, no. 11 (Greek).
INTRODUCTION xxxvii
Chalcedon as affirming Cyril and those, the Monophysites, who
regarded it as a betrayal of Cyril. A further complication for the
Eastern Church was that Cyril’s own Christological views were not
entirely consistent, or rather had been redefined on various occasions
during his long patriarchate, so that it was possible to point to statements
of his which both coincided and disagreed with the phraseology of Chal¬
cedon. However, both sides in the East were unhappy with the interpreta¬
tion of the West, which regarded Chalcedon as confirmation of the
teaching of Pope Leo and any quibbles as a challenge to the sufficiency
of papal exposition.
In Evagrius’ lifetime, official ecclesiastical policy was dominated by
the stance sometimes known as neo-Chalcedonianism: this represented
a determined attempt to interpret the Formula of Chalcedon in the light
of Cyril’s teaching, especially through the incorporation of his Twelve
Anathemas which had not been recognized at the Council, 60 and so
maintain the major decisions of Chalcedon by weakening Monophysite
objections. 61 This underpinned the efforts at reconciliation launched by
Justinian and Justin II, and also reflected the views of the patriarchs
Anastasius and Gregory of Antioch: in his sermon ‘On the Baptism of
Christ’, Gregory urged his congregation to abandon the destructive civil
war that was destroying the Christian community and to refrain from a
precise ‘weights and measures’ approach to doctrinal discussions. 62 Not
surprisingly, Evagrius shared this eirenic approach to the contentious
issue. His presentation of the background to the dispute emphasizes the
Devil’s initiative in destroying harmony by securing disagreement about
a single letter (i.l), and his views are clarified in the discussion of the
aftermath of Chalcedon (ii.5), where he argues that the opposing
formulae of Christ in (en) two natures and Christ from (ek) two natures
are mutually inductive - by confessing the one, the believer necessarily
60 The Twelve Anathemas, or Chapters, constituted a list of twelve heretical positions
which Cyril had appended to his third letter toNestorius (ACO I.i.l, no. 6; cf. i.5, with nn.
40,42 below); the orthodoxy of some of Cyril’s assertions was not above question, but they
were eventually ratified at the Fifth Ecumenical Council in 553.
61 Hence, Cyrilline Chalcedonianism is an alternative and more precise term for neo-
Chalcedonians, which would exclude those revisionists who went so far as to employ both
the major Christological formulae. Allen, Evagrius ch. 2, provides a clear and concise
exposition of the complex position; see also ead. 'Neo-Chalcedonianism’; Frend, Rise
275-82; Grillmeier, Christ II.2. 429-34; and, more generally, Herrin, Formation 183-5.
62 On the Baptism of Christ 9-10.
xxxviii EVAGRIUS
confesses the other. The gap is small, but as Evagrius despondently
concludes, mankind is sufficiently stubborn to refuse to accept this fact,
and to scorn every form of death rather than move to approval of the
reality.
Evagrius ’approach
This conciliatory attitude shaped Evagrius’ presentation of the Church
Councils which had defined the issues under debate, and of the emperors
who enforced or adapted these decisions. First Ephesus (AD 431), the
first major event covered by the History (i.3-6), is treated in such a way
as to be favourable towards both Cyril of Alexandria and John of
Antioch. As a result, issues such as Cyril’s blatant manipulation of the
date of the Council, the violence in Ephesus which was marshalled by
Cyril and the local bishop Memnon, and the arguments which rumbled
on for a couple of years after the Council, are sidestepped. Second
Ephesus (AD 449) is treated more briefly (19-10), and the violence for
which it became notorious is not prominent; attention is focused on
Eutyches, a prominent Constantinopolitan monk, whose vehement
opposition to Nestorian views verged on Apollinarianism, and blame
is subsequently attached to the eunuch Chrysaphius for the mistakes
(ii.2). Theodosius II could have been criticized for supporting both
Nestorius and Eutyches at different times, but his pious reputation is
not challenged.
In the presentation of Chalcedon (AD 451) in the historical narrative
(ii.4), the focus is on the reversal of the unjust decisions of Second
Ephesus, the deposition of Dioscorus of Alexandria for disciplinary
rather than doctrinal factors, and the establishment of a new doctrinal
formula that was fully in accord with the decisions of earlier Councils at
Nicaea and Constantinople and with the writings of Cyril of Alexan¬
dria; 63 the role of imperial officials in securing agreement is not made as
obvious as it is in the full acta. But Evagrius also chose to include a
second summary of the Chalcedonian acta, about four times as long, in
the appendix to Book ii (ii. 18). Here Dioscorus is the main focus, with
material from Second Ephesus quoted to show the disruption of proceed¬
ings there, and a detailed account is given of the attempts to persuade
Dioscorus to attend the Council of Chalcedon for judgement. On
63 Gray, ‘Noah’, analyses the creation of a Cyrillian Chalcedon.
INTRODUCTION
XXXIX
doctrinal matters, Evagrius quotes the acta to demonstrate the harmony
of Leo’s Tome with the views of Cyril of Alexandria, and to suggest
the Eutychian tendencies of Dioscorus’ supporters. If the reputation
of Chalcedon were to be upheld, it was still necessary to prove that
Dioscorus was guilty of gross misconduct, that he had foregone the
chance of a proper hearing, and that, even if he was condemned for his
behaviour, he was also suspect doctrinally; by contrast, the much-
maligned Pope Leo was consistent with the touchstone of Eastern
orthodoxy, Cyril of Alexandria. But this display of ecclesiastical
wrangling was best consigned to an appendix, to be read by enthusiasts.
Any selection of material may have a powerful distorting effect, but
Evagrius provides a fairly accurate report of most of the documentary
material which he cites: 64 he does conflate two letters of Pope Leo, in the
confused arguments at Chalcedon he twice seems to have misunderstood
which side of the debate a particular contributor was supporting, and
there are occasional errors over the order of the arguments and parti¬
cular names. 65 But, considering the length and complexity of the material
which he was summarizing and presenting, his account deserves consid¬
erable praise.
Although he is fiercely critical of Nestorius as an impious blasphemer
and agent of the Devil (i.2), 66 whose guilt was amply demonstrated by the
sufferings which Nestorius acknowledged that he endured during his
exile in Egypt (i.7), Evagrius is still remarkably tolerant of the whole
process of doctrinal definition through the gradual identification of blas¬
phemy and heresy and the consequent construction of a more rigorous
orthodox vocabulary (i.ll): even heretics are striving after more appro¬
priate forms of defining ‘the ineffable and inscrutable benevolence of
God’ (p. 18:19-20), and remain in agreement about the vital points of
Christian belief; the process, though regrettably disruptive, made the
Church stronger in the long run. 67 By emphasizing the conciliatory
64 Though, note ii n. 47 below for an increase in deviations in the documents cited at the
start of the narrative of Chalcedon in ii.4.
65 See ii nn. 116 (Leo’s letters), 160 (Eusebius’ interjection misrepresented), 220, 222
(Faustus' interjections misunderstood), 237 (order of events concerning Ibas), 240 (Bassia-
nus for Sabinianus).
66 Socrates (vii.32) was much more charitable: Nestorius’ writings showed that he was
not a heretic, though his folly occasioned great discord.
67 Contrast Krivushin, ‘Socrates’ 99-102, for Socrates’ pessimism about doctrinal
wrangling.
xl
EVAGRIUS
aspects of fifth-century Councils, Evagrius contributed to the creation of
a plausible past to fit his contemporary neo-Chalcedonian needs, though
he did not attempt to obscure all evidence for doctrinal disputes. 68
Emperors who worked for tolerance and reconciliation are praised:
Anastasius is credited with attempting to preserve the tranquillity of the
Church by tolerating the existence of divergent opinions (iii.30), a favour¬
able judgement which ignores the emperor’s determined attempt to
remove opponents of Monophysite views; Zeno, who is harshly criticized
by Evagrius for his avarice and deceit, is handled much more sympa¬
thetically with regard to Church matters, because of the compromise
attempted in his Elenoticon whose sentiments on the triviality of doctrinal
divisions are remarkably close to Evagrius’ own language.
On the other hand, Justinian, who laboured long and hard for a
unifying doctrinal formula, is singled out for criticism because of the
disruption which his ecclesiastical policies, and especially his final
Aphthartodocete initiative, caused (iv.10, 39 40). Although the Fifth
Ecumenical Council (553) turned out advantageously, this was entirely
the result of God’s goodness since the meeting was the product of
human scheming and rivalries. There are very substantial omissions in
Evagrius’ account of doctrinal issues in the sixth century; he does not
mention the discussions with Monophysites in 532, Justinian’s Theo-
paschite Edict in 533, the anti-Origenist Edict of 543, the initial Three
Chapters Edict of 544, the discussions with Pope Vigilius which led to
his acceptance of the Three Chapters Edict in 548, or Justinian’s Declara¬
tion of Faith in 551 which attempted to make an Ecumenical Council
unnecessary. Granted that Justinian’s doctrinal initiatives had created
the framework for the imperial neo-Chalcedonian stance of the late
sixth century, and that all of his major Edicts should have been among
the documents preserved in the Antioch patriarchate, Evagrius’ presen¬
tation points to his strong disapproval of the emperor.
Evagrius and contemporary disputes
Evagrius is noticeably reticent about contemporary ecclesiastical
disputes. He has been criticized for this silence by Allen, who suggests as
68 Gray, ‘Noah’, argues that Chalcedonians in Justinian’s reign desired a stable past.
Evagrius certainly indulges in selective emphasis, but he does not obliterate all evidence
for past changes of mind (e.g. the tergiversation in iii.4—9).
INTRODUCTION
xli
an explanation that relations between the rival camps in Antioch and its
hinterland were so changeable that it was prudent for the embattled
Chalcedonians to draw a veil of discreet silence over the issues and
simply omit all mention of the problem. 69 This verdict, though in some
ways plausible, merits further thought: silence is one reaction to a tense
division, though forceful argument is equally possible. The latter
approach generated the vehement condemnations of Monophysites in
Theodore Lector, in reaction to the favours they had received under
Anastasius, or of Origenists in the works of Cyril of Scythopolis, who
was writing in Palestine where the rivalry between the supporters and
opponents of Origen was extremely fierce. The problems facing the Chal¬
cedonians at Antioch have probably been overstated, and, if an indivi¬
dual leader such as Patriarch Gregory was under pressure, it does not
follow that the Chalcedonians at Antioch were ‘embattled’. Gregory,
too, successfully defended himself against his various accusers; many of
his problems, indeed, were not doctrinal and did not alfect the position
of his predecessor, and successor, Anastasius. 70
The strength of the Monophysite cause may be overestimated. In the
fifth century the Antiochene diocese had been the bastion of opposition
to Cyril of Alexandria, and prelates who inclined towards the Nestorian
end of the Christological spectrum had been in place until well after
Chalcedon. Monophysite bishops only gained control under Anastasius,
and that towards the end of his reign and after a protracted struggle
which showed the limitations of their support; at Sidon in 511 Philoxenus
of Mabbug was outvoted by the defenders of Chalcedon. The appoint¬
ment of Severus as patriarch of Antioch was a Monophysite triumph,
but it required considerable energy from him to dominate his see, as his
correspondence reveals, and even he could not pressure all his suffragan
bishops into conformity. 71 When Justin I succeeded Anastasius in 518,
the situation was bound to change: imperial and ecclesiastical patronage
69 Evagrius 19-20,42-4.
70 ‘Embattled’: Allen, Evagrius 44. Herrin, Formation 185, describes Gregory as an un¬
worthy representative of imperial authority, but this is to accept uncritically the Monophy¬
site presentation of his troubles. The reputation and popularity of Anastasius must have
posed continuing problems, but despite this Gregory proved his worth during the eastern
mutiny and the exile of Khusro II. In more general terms Kennedy and Liebeschuetz,
‘Antioch’ 78-81, assert that the patriarch’s authority was reduced over a great part of his
see, with a split between the metropolitan city and the immediately surrounding territory.
71 Frend, Rise 221-31, makes this point.
xlii
EVAGRIUS
was controlled by Chalcedonians, and force was used against the obsti¬
nate. How far Monophysites could maintain their position under ener¬
getic Chalcedonian leaders like Ephrem of Antioch, and in the face of
subsequent pressure from Justin’s successor Justinian, is doubtful: we
naturally hear of the enthusiasts who suffered for their beliefs, but the
views of the majority of the population cannot be reconstructed from
the polemics of either side in the dispute. The construction of a separate
Monophysite hierarchy, towards the end of Justinian’s reign, stabilized
their influence in certain areas, but their bishops, numbering no more
than three dozen or so, did not reside in, or control, the cities; some
indeed, like John of Ephesus, may rarely have gone anywhere near their
titular see. In the Antiochene patriarchate, Monophysite influence was
strongest in the eastern parts, and especially in monasteries, sufficiently
remote from the metropolitan gaze to be ignored, but these communities
were also extremely fragmented; their self-destructive strife was a major
concern for John of Ephesus. 72 In this light, Evagrius’ presentation of
Chalcedon and its aftermath might reflect confidence in the views which
he and his patriarch espoused.
An instructive example of religious allegiance is the fate of the
monastery at Qalat Seman, the site of Symeon Stylites the Elder’s pillar.
It was probably still in Chalcedonian hands in 517 when Severus’ oppo¬
nents assembled there; granted that Severus fled from Antioch in 518,
there was little time for him to use his power as patriarch to effect a
change of allegiance. In the 520s, however, Severus stated that he had
heard that its monks were planning to imitate the brethren at Teleda in
response to imperial pressure (Letters v.9, pp. 323-4), namely to go into
exile, which might indicate that some monks now rejected Chalcedon.
But Symeon was still regarded as a Chalcedonian, since Severus had to
defend his involvement with the saint, in particular the fact that he had
pronounced an encomium for him: Severus’ defence was that he had
used the speech to demonstrate that Symeon had rejected Theodoret of
Cyrrhus, Nestorians and Chalcedon (Letters v.ll, pp. 334-5). When the
monastery came under secure Monophysite control is unknown:
assumptions that this occurred during the sixth century are unsafe, and
it is quite possible that Chalcedonians were in charge when Evagrius
72 Cf. Frend, Rise 283-95. For analysis of the evidence for monasteries under Monophy¬
site control in 567-8, primarily on the eastern slopes of the Limestone Massif behind
Antioch, see A. Chaquot inTchalenko, Villages III. 63-85.
INTRODUCTION
xliii
visited the shrine in the late sixth century; 73 the monastery is not among
those named in the context of Monophysite discussions in 5 67/ 8. 74 The
definitive change may have occurred during the Arab invasions, when
the monastery was raided in the aftermath of the battle of Yarmuk
(636) on the day of the saint’s feast; the Monophysite Michael the
Syrian commented that this was a just punishment for the orgies and
drunkenness which accompanied these festivals, an indication that he
did not approve of the way the shrine was being run at the time. 75 The
affiliation of the monks at Qalat Seman cannot be used to support the
theory that Chalcedonian patriarchs at Antioch had become detached
from their rural hinterland. Another important religious centre which
seems to have been accessible to both Christological parties was the
shrine of Sergius at Resafa. 76
One factor relevant to Evagrius’ silence on such disputes is a common
tendency of ecclesiastical historians to shy away from contemporary
disputes; of the historians of Theodosius II’s reign, Sozomen and Theo-
doret found it politic not to attempt to cover the start of the Nestorian
dispute and First Ephesus, while Socrates’ approach to Nestorius was
very moderate. It took time for issues to become clear, and the cautious
author would avoid becoming embroiled in arguments whose outcome
was still obscure. 77 By evading mention of Justinian’s various initiatives,
73 Discussion in P. Peeters, Orient et Byzance: le trefonds oriental de I'hagiographie
byzantine , Subsidia Hagiographica (Brussels, 1950) 134-6 (also, ‘L’eglise georgienne du
Clibanon au Mont Admirable’, AB 46 (1928), 241-86, at 250-4), who argues against an
early switch to Monophysite control, but does not specify a date. H. G. Beck, Kirche und
theologische Literatur im byzantinischen Reich, Hanbuch der Altertumswissenschaft
12.11.1 (Munich, 1959), 206-7, though citing Peeters, is much more confident about an early
takeover (the other discussions cited by Beck deal with the architecture of the monastic
complex and are irrelevant to the control of the site). In turn Frend, Rise 166 n. 5, cites Beck
for change of control on Symeon’s death in 459; Kennedy and Liebeschuetz, ‘Antioch’ 82,
then cite Frend for the ‘certainty’ that Symeon’s monastery soon became anti-Chalcedonian.
74 A. Chaquot inTchalenko, Villages III. 63-85.
75 Michael the Syrian xi.6, II. p. 422. Michael, however, also attempted to portray
Symeon as an opponent of the Council of Chalcedon by quoting an apocryphal letter
(viii. 12, II. p. 92).
76 Cf. Elizabeth Fowden, Plain 156-7.
77 This only applies to writers from the ‘orthodox’ camp; schismatics or heretics defined
themselves in opposition to the faults of the currently dominant orthodoxy, and so must
naturally devote space to contemporary doctrinal arguments. Thus John of Ephesus’ Eccle¬
siastical History records the tribulations of the Monophysites at the hands of Chalcedo-
nians in the 570s, and also the internal splits within the Monophysite community.
xliv
EVAGRIUS
Evagrius could suggest that neo-Chalcedonian ideas had a longer and
more respectable pedigree. Another consideration is that, after the
flurry associated with the Aphthartodocete crisis of 564/5, the greatest
activity in the Eastern Church occurred within the Monophysite commu¬
nities, which were rent by various complicated doctrinal divisions. The
orthodox writer could have exploited this disorganization as proof of
the folly of such opinions, but this might have seemed to lend greater
importance to these schismatics than they deserved. In the West, the
proceedings of the Fifth Ecumenical Council at which Pope Vigilius was
forced to accede to the condemnation of the Three Chapters, writings of
Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrrhus and Ibas of Edessa,
continued to cause disruption, but such matters were far beyond
Evagrius’ horizons. In Evagrius’ world, Chalcedonians were dominant.
Gregory of Antioch had encouraged people not to focus on points of
dissension, and this ‘official’ attitude seems to have been congenial to
Evagrius. 78 It is possible that this is not simply the case of an ecclesias¬
tical employee having to kow-tow to the views of his superior, but that a
preference for coexistence, with as little disruption as possible, reflected
a wider reality in the Eastern Christian communities of the late sixth
century: individual Christians were perhaps more prepared to live
quietly alongside those of a different doctrinal persuasion than the
rhetoric of professional argument might suggest. 79 In Amida, even after
the initial round of persecutions of Monophysite clergy and monks
under Justin I, the Chalcedonian bishop Abraham bar Khaili was
conducting a service in front of a mixed congregation of Monophysites
and Chalcedonians when the Monophysite hero, Sergius, stormed into
the building to confront him. Our account of the incident by the Mono¬
physite John of Ephesus naturally stresses the rugged individualism of
Sergius and his ability to disrupt this cosy arrangement, but it must be
remembered that this was a partisan narrative, composed almost half a
century after the event by an author who was desperate to remind his
fractious co-believers of the virtues of the heroes of his youth. 80 The
78 Urbainczyk, Socrates 27, notes Socrates’ preference for conciliation and unity.
79 Kennedy and Liebeschuetz assert that doctrinal controversies became a matter of
concern for the whole population, and that the Monophysites had a mass following, but
ihe latter statement at least is undercut by their admission in a footnote that the views of
monks were crucial (‘Antioch’ 76, 85).
80 John of Ephesus, Lives 5, PO 17 p. 102. Harvey, Asceticism 68-75, the most author¬
itative account of John’s hagiographical works, treats this and other stories in John as direct
INTRODUCTION
xlv
incidental admission that the two parties were sharing the same church
service, even if the Monophysites did not receive communion, and that
the service was being conducted by an individual who was accorded the
reputation of arch-persecutor in Monophysite demonology, might be
regarded as more significant.
Christological dispute had become a matter of rival group loyalties,
and partisan rivalries were fuelled by the propaganda of competitive
miracles, 81 publicized in hagiographies and other ecclesiastical texts.
But, as Evagrius put it, ‘the essential and vital points are commonly
agreed by all’ (i.ll, p. 18:26-7). Some monasteries near Constantinople
housed communities of mixed Christological beliefs, a fact which
caused great concern to John of Ephesus since he feared that Monophy¬
sites might gradually be seduced into abandoning their distinction from
Chalcedonians. John Moschus’ Pratum Spirituale preserves the story of
a simple-minded monk at Scete: he accepted communion without ques¬
tioning the allegiance of the officiating priest, until an angel appeared to
ask whether he wished to be like the monks of Jerusalem or those of
Egypt (i.e. Chalcedonian and blessed, or Monophysite and accursed).
The Monophysite Isaiah of Gaza, a friend of Peter the Iberian, admitted
that true sanctity could be found among the Chalcedonians, though he
never accepted Chalcedonian communion: when consulted by two Chal¬
cedonian monks, he replied, ‘There is no harm in the Council of the
Catholic Church: you are well as you are, you believe well.’ The inter¬
mediary between Isaiah and his interlocutors was less accommodating,
and remarked that the old man had his head in the clouds and was
ignorant of the problems caused by the Council - but the monks still
followed Isaiah’s advice. 82 In Syria, Evagrius’ contemporary, Symeon
Stylites the Younger, is not presented by his biographer as having to pay
attention to a Monophysite ‘problem’ at his station close to Antioch
and its patriarch’s official patronage of Chalcedon. 83
Group loyalty determined allegiances, but individuals could be much
evidence for the situation in Amida. Allowance must be made for John’s literary and pastor¬
al purposes in producing the collection, and for the very different circumstances at the time
of composition: John, writing at or near Constantinople in Ihe 570s and 580s, may not have
been fully in touch with contemporary realities in the East.
81 Chadwick.‘Moschus’69-71.
82 Pratum 178; John Rufus, Plerophories 96, p. 164.
83 Van den Ven, Symeon 169-70.
xlvi
EVAGRIUS
more flexible. Evagrius chose not to highlight the contemporary dispute,
but there is no doubt about where his loyalties lay: Chalcedon was the
great treasure which Marcian bequeathed to the world (ii.8); Zachariah
was a partisan reporter of events even though he may have been correct
about the tergiversations of the bishops of Asia (ii.8; iii.9); Severus of
Antioch is accused, wrongly, of boasting about his dealings with
Anthimus of Constantinople (iv.ll); Timothy of Alexandria is impli¬
cated in the murder of his rival Proterius and his own standing with his
Monophysite followers is misrepresented (ii.8; iii.6).
Evagrius’ comments on the question of Church unity are not entirely
consistent. Although he approved of the eirenic policy of Anastasius, he
also admitted that the lack of communion between churches in different
provinces was absurd (iii.30). The situation might appear to have been
rectified by Justinian’s resolute action in expelling the Monophysites
Severus and Anthimus, whereafter ‘the Synod of Chalcedon was publicly
proclaimed in all the churches’ (iv.ll, p. 161:19-20); the Synod was no
longer anathematized, opponents were coerced in various ways, and the
churches were reunited, with the patriarchs now in agreement and the
bishops following their leaders (iv.ll). But this focus on unity at a
purely formal level, achieved through the imposition of imperially
approved patriarchs, is undermined by the admission that Severus’ anti-
Chalcedonian writings remained influential, ‘and from there many
disputes have arisen for the Church, and the most faithful populace has
been divided’ (iv.4, p. 154:30-2); the enthusiastic support of Empress
Theodora for the anti-Chalcedonians is also acknowledged (iv.10). In
his own lifetime, Evagrius admitted that the Church was not united:
commenting on the effect of the doctrinal edict issued by Justin II, he
observes, ‘everyone consented to this edict, saying that its expressions
were orthodox; but none of the parts that had broken off was completely
united ...’ (v.4, p. 201:13 14); Chalcedon was not to be anathematized,
and this prevented full reunion. But his only reference to contemporary
Monophysites locates them in the empire’s desert frontier regions,
‘where the doctrines of Severus are particularly prevalent’ (vi.22, p.
238:25); Patriarch Gregory’s exposition of Chalcedonian doctrine is
said to have brought many back to the orthodox fold. Looking outwards
from Chalcedonian Antioch, a similar view to that of Symeon the
Younger, the lack of complete unity was undoubtedly distressing, since
it demonstrated that the Devil’s strategy of a dispute over a single letter
was still effective. But to highlight the disagreement would simply play
INTRODUCTION
xlvii
the Devil’s game, and so Evagrius alludes in passing to the continued
impact of Severus’ ideas but does not report such indications of a decisive
break as the creation of separate Monophysite bishops and clergy.
Furthermore, for the urban dweller recent pagan scandals provided a
more serious enemy which affected the whole Church, and there were
other important contemporary concerns.
EVAGRIUS AS HISTORIAN
Historical judgements
Ecclesiastical historiography had always incorporated a substantial
element of secular narrative, particularly in its more contemporary
sections, 84 and Evagrius is no exception: the secular achievements of the
contemporary ruler could be used to prove divine favour, and so contri¬
bute to his praise, and they also demonstrated the providential progress
of Christian history which was steadily advancing towards a better
world - Theodosius II is treated in much the same panegyrical way by his
contemporary church historians as Maurice is by Evagrius. 85 Socrates,
indeed, commented that the quarrels of bishops were wearisome, and
noted the close interconnection between ecclesiastical and imperial
problems. 86 Secular success depended in large part on the individual char¬
acter of the ruler, and of other leading men, and so assessment of personal
qualities and defects was a major concern. Divine Providence did favour
the world, supplying food to the survivors of a drought and plague or safe¬
guarding the future emperor Tiberius during a military defeat (ii.6; v.ll),
and virtuous behaviour might extract specific rewards, such as the mira¬
culous effusions of blood from the tomb of Euphemia (ii.3), but the basic
fact of life for mankind was change: ‘the uncertainty and changeability
of life and the sudden variations and about-turns of human existence’
( vi. 17, p. 234:9-10). 87 The successful ruler, of which Maurice is the prime
example, could cope with these fluctuations and bring events to a
successful conclusion, whereas unsatisfactory rulers such as Zeno or
Justin II were thrown into complete panic by unexpected developments,
84 Liebeschuetz, ‘Historians’ 162, sensibly observes that this does not make ecclesiasti¬
cal history more secular; contra Allen, ‘War’ 7.
85 See Urbainczyk, ‘Vice’; Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’.
86 Socrates Book v, preface.
87 Chesnut, Histories2\\-\2.
xlviii
EVAGRIUS
and either fled into cowardly exile or relapsed into madness (iii.3; v. 11). In
their legislation, emperors might proclaim a duty to exercise forethought
and make provision before the event, 88 so that Evagrius essentially
adopts a standard which was concordant with imperial propaganda.
Evagrius had a clear view of what was required of his leading figures,
and these expectations are analysed in a series of character sketches
which apply the same matrix of criteria to a range of different indivi¬
duals. His judgements have been criticized for being stereotyped and
repetitious, 89 but closer attention to exactly what he omits as well as
what he includes in each assessment reveals a series of subtly different
personalities, which can, in many cases, be paralleled from other contem¬
porary sources. 90 Self-control was a key quality, possessed by Maurice
who had ‘expelled from his soul the mob rule of the passions’ (vi.l, p.
223:9-10) and so was in control of everything to which the undisciplined
life was devoted (v.19); by contrast Zeno and Justin II were both disso¬
lute, slaves to a succession of mistresses, in a striking image applied to
the former (iii.l; cf. v.l). Rulers devoted to personal pleasure were natu¬
rally greedy for their subjects’ possessions, and were likely to rejoice in
bloodshed (iii.2; v.l—2); by contrast, the sensible ruler elevated avoidance
of bloodshed to the status of a guiding principle (iii.34; vi.2). Traditional
virtues of courage, wisdom, piety, clemency, justice and generosity
(v.19; vi.l; v.13) were all important, though it was necessary for gener¬
osity in particular to have a limit: Tiberius, renowned for his charitable
inclinations, might be thought to have taken this to excess (v.13). These
virtues had to operate in the real world, where it was essential for even
the best of men to be able to assess the worth of those with whom they
had regular dealings: thus, regulated accessibility was a virtue, for
which Maurice and Anastasius of Antioch are both praised ( v.19; iv.40),
in contrast to the extremes of complete seclusion, which the arrogant
general Priscus practised with unfortunate consequences (vi.4), or an
excessive openness which is hinted at in the case of Tiberius (v.13). Men
who combined a suitable balance of these qualities were capable of
taking the correct decisions at the appropriate times, and of getting
things done: this ideal is presented in the brief assessment of Bishop
Domitian, ‘an intelligent and shrewd man, most particularly capable in
88 E.g. the Encyclical of Basiliscus, iii.4, p. 103:11-13, with iii. n. 13 below.
89 Allen, Evagrius 205 nn. 189, 218, 226, 235, 245.
90 Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’.
INTRODUCTION
xlix
word and deed and most energetic in the greatest of affairs’ (vi. 18, p.
234:20-3). The importance to Evagrius of these analyses is underlined
by their frequent stylistic elaboration (discussed in the following section).
Such assessments had to be tested against events, which gives purpose
to the secular narrative, especially in the latter books where a sequence of
one disastrous and two excellent rulers (Justin II, followed by Tiberius
and Maurice) can be evaluated in relation to what they accomplished:
That these things are so will be proved by what has been granted him
[Maurice] by God, and by the events of all types which must unanimously
be attributed to God’ (vi.l, p. 223:15-17). For this reason, the nature
of events was of greater importance than specific detail, especially of
mundane trifles such as chronology. There was also a limit to what it
was appropriate to include in this type of history: Evagrius excuses
himself from reporting the details of Maurice’s successes, ‘and what
occurred, and how and in what manner, let others write, or perhaps it
will be recounted by me in another work, since the present undertaking
is explicitly devoted to other matters’ (v.20, p. 215:29-216:1). Evagrius
appreciated that the details of military campaigns were not suitable
material for his Ecclesiastical History, just as Procopius had known
that precise discussion of theological issues belonged in a different type
of work from his Wars (viii.25.13). Failure to attend to the ways in
which Evagrius exploited the secular material available to him, both
from a source such as Procopius and events of which he had direct experi¬
ence, has led to misconceptions about the identity and vitality of the
distinct historiographical genres. 91
Under Justin, Evagrius focuses on the emperor’s incompetent
preparations for war and his stubborn refusal to listen to informed
advice, which resulted in disaster for the eastern provinces: Apamea, the
metropolis of Evagrius’ home province, was sacked and burnt, while
Antioch, his place of employment and residence, was seriously threatened
(v.7-10); there were numerous portents of the imminent misfortunes,
from which Evagrius chose to mention the birth of a two-headed calf
which he saw (v.8), a prodigy which perhaps indicated the unsuitability
of the current imperial leadership of Justin II. 92 As soon as Tiberius was
91 Allen, Evagrius 68-70; ead. ‘Aspects’ is even more negative. Whitby, ‘Writing’, sets
out some contrary arguments; see also Liebeschuetz, ‘Historians’ 162.
92 Cf. iii.44 for Anastasius’ insistence that the empire required a single helmsman. Am-
mianus xix.12.19 recorded a two-headed prodigy which appeared at Daphne near Antioch
1
EVAGRIUS
directing affairs, proper preparations were made and a grand invasion led
by the arrogant Khusro was repulsed so decisively that the Persian king
‘was distraught and helpless and submerged by the ebb and flow of
anguish’ (v. 14 15, p. 211:31-3): here was another ruler who was unable
to cope with the changes of fortune. The fact that Evagrius’ report of the
Roman victory is probably a substantial exaggeration of a limited defen¬
sive success merely underlines his purpose: Tiberius was a good ruler,
and his initiatives had to be rewarded with success.
Divine favour was demonstrated by the presence of saints, which
might be interpreted, like Euphemia’s effusions, as a reward for good
leadership or serve as a reminder that God had not forgotten the world
even if the current ruler was imperfect. Though Symeon Stylites the
Elder is given prominence, Evagrius is more concerned with sixth-
century saints. This is, in part, a result of the availability of information,
since Gregory of Antioch could have provided a fund of stories about
recent monastic stars, but it also reflects the function of such stories in
Evagrius’ text. Under Justin and Justinian, God’s favour to the Romans
had to be emphasized to offset the impression of divine hostility which
repeated natural disasters and military problems might have created,
problems which might have been attributed to the misdeeds of the
emperor, Justinian in particular. Under Tiberius and Maurice, miracles
reinforced the positive presentation of these rulers. Thus the records of
saints and miracles form a bridge between the ecclesiastical and secular
elements in the narrative: they are part of the standard fare of ecclesias¬
tical historiography, but also a demonstration of the concern of Divine
Providence with current worldly matters.
Causation
Granted Evagrius’ providential view of history, it is not surprising that his
comments on causation focus on the operation of God in this world:
indeed, the review of the contents of his History in the preface does not
include causation as a separate element, in marked contrast to the
professed interests of secular classicizing historians in the mould of Proco¬
pius. The relevant knowledge rests with God: ‘And what will follow is
to foreshadow the deformed condition of the state. For Evagrius it may have indicated that
(he emperor was about to acquire a colleague.
INTRODUCTION
li
unclear... since He knows both the causes and where they lead’ (iv.29, p.
179:12—14); this verdict, delivered in the context of the Plague, could be
applied more generally to Evagrius’ approach to history. God took care
to honour The holy memories of His saints’, either with the collaboration
of pious rulers like Theodosius II or contrary to the intentions of the
impious Julian (i.16, p. 26:10-11). Sinners could expect punishment. The
judgement of God awaited Nestorius in captivity, and increased the
severity of his punishment, thereby providing clear evidence for the error
of Nestorius’ views (i.7). In the case of Aetherius and Addaeus, alleged
conspirators against Justin II, Evagrius does not commit himself to
accepting the treason charge against them, but he categorically asserts
that both men were sinners (v.3); the implication is that they have received
their just deserts, even though Evagrius is also hostile to the bloodthirsty
nature of the emperor. Those who escape punishment in this world will
obtain their reward in the next: Justinian ‘departed to the lowest places of
punishment’ as a result of the confusion he had caused (v.l, p. 195:6-7),
while Justin II admitted in his speech at the elevation of Tiberius to
Caesar that he had ‘become liable to the extreme penalties’ (v. 13, p.
209:2-3). On the other hand, God tempered punishment with mercy, espe¬
cially towards ordinary people: after the earthquake disasters at Antioch
in the 520s, God demonstrated his ‘sympathy at the very moment of
despair’ by producing Ephrem to co-ordinate the rescue effort (iv.6, p.
156:14-15); similarly in the quake of 588, ‘God tempered His threat with
clemency and chastened our sin with the branch of compassion and pity’
(vi.8, p. 228:2-4). Calamities might represent God’s angry punishment of
His errant people, but they could also be the work of the Devil or a
demon: Nestorius’ heresy is the most prominent instance, but the massive
fire at Constantinople in 464 was also sparked off by ‘a certain wicked
and vengeful demon’ (ii.13, p. 64:20); a similar formula could be employed
to explain away the popular opposition to Patriarch Gregory at Antioch
(v.18), when a thorough investigation might have revealed a very inter¬
esting blend of personal rivalries and economic and social factors.
Chronology and dating
Another aspect of secular historiography for which Evagrius shows scant
interest is chronology. 93 Where a source provided a date, Evagrius was
93 Cf. discussion above (Sources, Arrangement of material).
lii
EVAGRIUS
usually capable of reproducing it, but this still left plenty of scope for error
or imprecision. 94 There is only one complicated synchronism, and this is
explicitly attributed to Eustathius, who had used it to mark the start of
Anastasius’ reign: Anastasius is dated by reference to Diocletian,
Augustus, Alexander the Great, Romulus and the capture of Troy
(iii.29), a combination which reflects the variety of historical and cultural
perspectives that were relevant to Eustathius. Evagrius attempted a
partial imitation to mark the accession of his contemporary emperor,
Maurice, though this is marred by an error in regnal years, since Evagrius
managed to duplicate the period of joint rule between Justin II and
Tiberius, and by the loss from the manuscripts of the figure for the years
from Romulus (v.23). The choice of the years from Romulus might seem
strange for an eastern Roman historian, but this calculation was also
used, appropriately enough, to mark the deposition of the last Roman
emperor, Romulus Augustulus (ii. 16), another passage for which
Eustathius is the most obvious source (even if the precise date is corrupt ).
Evagrius clearly appreciated its Roman and imperial connotations, and
so followed Eustathius’ practice when constructing his own formula.
The two main dating systems employed by Evagrius are the Antio¬
chene Era and regnal years, though neither occurs frequently. The Antio¬
chene Era, often used in conjunction with Macedonian months, is
naturally associated with information derived from Malalas: it is used
to date the earthquake of 468, in conjunction with a regnal year and an
indiction (cf. 3.33: appointment of Severus), Justin I’s accession (iv.l),
the deposition of Severus (iv.4), and Justinian’s appointment as co¬
emperor (iv.9). 95 The quake of 588 is also dated by its Antiochene year
(vi. 18), information for which Evagrius must take full responsibility; it
would appear that the city still used its official dating Era and Macedo¬
nian months. Regnal years are more common, being supplied by
Eustathius and Procopius, as well as Malalas (e.g. iii.37, iv.16, 19), and
calculated by Evagrius himself for contemporary events ( v.17,23; vi.24).
Evagrius also reckoned back from the year of composition to date the
Plague (iv.29), a formula which is not immediately comprehensible
94 Though he failed to report accurately Malalas’ date for the 458 earthquake at Antioch
(ii. 12 with notes).
95 This follows what Evagrius has marked as the conclusion of his text of Malalas (the
526 quake: iv.5), but could easily have been calculated from Ihe Malalas-based date for
Justin’s accession.
INTRODUCTION
liii
though it can be worked out by reference to the information in Evagrius’
final chapter (vi.24).
Such precision, however, is uncommon. Expressions such as ‘At this
period’, ‘In the same times’, ‘At the same time’, ‘During these times’,
‘After some time’ or ‘While these things were going on’ are standard, so
that the time sequence often remains very vague. 96 In part, the responsi¬
bility lies with Evagrius’ sources, since, for example, much of Malalas’
information on the fifth century was only imprecisely dated and caused
problems to other historians who tried to follow it; 97 Eustathius, too,
may sometimes have failed to offer a clear chronology, since Evagrius
had no notion of the relative dates of the sequence of revolts against
Zeno, though in this case Theophanes presented the information more
accurately. 98 Evagrius, however, also did not make use of what chronolo¬
gical information was readily available: thus in his paraphrase of Proco¬
pius, there are regnal year dates for the start of the Vandal expedition and
the first capture of Rome (iv.16, 19), but the long-delayed conclusion of
the Italian campaign is not dated, and there is no attempt to synchronize
events in the West and on the Persian front; 99 Khusro’s 540 invasion of
Syria is dated by a regnal year (iv.25), but the implication is that his subse¬
quent rebuffs at Edessa (544) and Sergiopolis (542) occurred in the same
year, and these two attacks are presented in the wrong order (iv.27-8).
Evagrius’ chronological weakness is most apparent in the events of
his own life. On occasions there are simply no indications of the passage
of time; the notice of episcopal succession that precedes the account of
the Fifth Ecumenical Council in 553 (iv.37-8) contains no dates, or
lengths of office, so that the single most important ecclesiastical event of
Evagrius’ life is left undated, while his uncertainty about the date of
Eustochius’ accession at Jerusalem distorts his narrative of the embassies
which preceded the Council. 100 It is not surprising that events of the
96 E.g. i. 17. 19, 20; iii.43; iv.39; vi.16, 20,23.
97 E.g. i.20, the material on the marriage of Theodosius, and Eudocia’s visits to the Holy
Land.
98 Evagrius iii.14—27, with cross-references to Theophanes in the notes ad loc.
99 See iv n. 62 below.
100 See iv nn. 119, 121 below. Even his reuse of an account of episcopal succession from
Zachariah displays some uncertainty, since at the end of a dense passage he apologized,
‘I have had to link these together in sequence for the sake of clarity and comprehension’
(iii.23); a more plausible explanation might be that Evagrius lacked the knowledge to
divide up the information.
liv
EVAGRIUS
contemporary Persian war are almost completely devoid of dates: the
initial appeal of Armenian rebels to Justin II is dated to the first year of
Gregory’s patriarchate (v.7), though no date has been given for his acces¬
sion to the see so that the information is not very helpful; thereafter the
only significant division in the narrative is Maurice’s accession, but
events on either side of it are reported without any attempt at a clear
sequence. 101 As a result, when Evagrius does offer a chronology for the
events of the very recent past, he not surprisingly introduced a serious
error in narrating the actions of Philippicus after the termination of the
eastern mutiny in 588/9: the account contains two references to the
Roman army returning to winter quarters, and one to the events of an
intervening summer (vi. 14), though in fact the events occurred in the
space of less than six months within the same campaign season, with no
return to winter quarters at all. 102
If chronological detail was not important for Evagrius, he was still
concerned to produce a narrative that displayed a ‘sensible arrangement’
(i.2, p. 7:12-13), with events presented at their ‘appropriate times’ (ii.l, p.
36:9) in an account whose ‘sequence’ was permitted to ‘flow’ (v.15, p.
212:2-3; v.21, p. 217:7-8; v.24, p. 219:27). Digressions, or diversions to
significantly different topics or types of evidence, are clearly marked
either at their start, or conclusion, or at both. 103 The narrative had to be
kept in proportion, so that certain matters were excluded on grounds of
excessive length: some of the correspondence associated with the
Acacian schism (iii.23, p. 121:13-14), the miracles of Zosimas which
were too numerous to relate (iv.7, p. 157:16-19), or the misdeeds of Justi¬
nian whose nature could be inferred from the selection presented (iv.32,
p. 182:10-13). The details of the behaviour of Symeon the Fool are not
presented, since they were so interesting that they deserved a separate
treatment (iv.34, p. 184:22-3). Evagrius, though, recognized that
readers would have different interests and priorities, and so placed the
important but protracted summary of the proceedings at Chalcedon
in an appendix at the end of the relevant Book, ‘lest I seem to be
101 E.g. v.19-20, the sequence of Maurice’s commands in the years 578-82; vi.3-4, the
operations of John Mystacon and Philippicus in 582-7.
102 See notes adloc.
103 Start: i.14, p. 23:31; iii.35, p. 134:24-6; iv.26, pp. 172:29-173:1; iv.28, p. 176:7-9; iv.29,
p. 177:3. Conclusion: i.ll p. 20:16-19; i.13, p. 23:27-9; iii.21, p. 120:3; iv.29, p. 179:14-16.
Both: ii.l, pp. 37:20, 38:7-8; iii.39-41, pp. 136:32-137:3, 144:18-19; iv.7, pp. 156:25-7,
159:7-9.
INTRODUCTION
lv
long-winded to those who are eager for the end of the events; thereby I
have given an opportunity to those who wish to know everything
minutely both to peruse them and to form an accurate impression of
everything’ (ii.4, p. 44:11-17). On two occasions, Evagrius’ refusal to
provide full information has a clear defensive purpose: those interested
in the explanation for Eudocia’s trips to Jerusalem are referred to ‘the
historians, even though they do not seem to me to be truthful’ (i.21, p.
29:20-1), while there is even stronger condemnation of the inaccuracies
of writers who might relate the actions of Philippicus while in charge of
the eastern army (vi.3, p. 224:14-18).
EVAGRIUS AS AUTHOR
Patriarch Photius {cod. 29), in his brief assessment of Evagrius, offered
the judgement that ‘his style is not without charm, even if it sometimes
seems to be somewhat excessive’. 104 Of his predecessors in the tradition
of ecclesiastical historiography, Socrates’ deliberately plain style
received the comment that there was nothing remarkable in it (cod. 28),
Sozomen was regarded as superior to Socrates (cod. 30), and only Theo-
doret was accorded a complimentary notice - he employed the appro¬
priate style, clear, elevated and restrained, though occasionally his
metaphors were excessive (cod. 31). Evagrius himself praised elegance
of style in other writers, and, whatever the traditionally modest protesta¬
tions of his introduction, 105 he clearly hoped that his narrative would
strike its readers as a pleasant interweaving of materials. 106 Evagrius’
attention to stylistic matters has been seen as one of the indications that
he was departing from the conventions of ecclesiastical historiography
and adopting the habits of secular historians, 107 but the precedent of
Theodoret and the stylistic polemic of Socrates - both defensive in
respect to his own work (vi.l) and critical of the lost history by Philip of
Side (vii.27) - indicate that Evagrius was not, in fact, being innovative
in this respect.
Diversity of subject matter was a factor in Evagrius’ literary organi¬
zation, and he presents a blend of ecclesiastical documentation and
104 The most complete discussion of Evagrius’ linguistic and stylistic practice is Thur-
mayr, Studien ; Caires, ‘Evagrius’, makes a number of useful observations.
105 Priscus (i.17), Eustathius (i. 19), Procopius (iv. 12).
106 The weaving image is employed at i.l; iv.ll, 29.
107 Allen, Evagrius 51-2; ‘Aspects’ 377-81.
lvi
EVAGRIUS
historical narrative, of church affairs and secular material, and various
digressions and set pieces. Each book contains ecclesiastical documents,
often very substantial: the decision of First Ephesus and related texts
(i.4, 6), the acta of Chalcedon and an Encyclical of Leo (ii.4, 9-10, 18),
doctrinal Edicts of Basiliscus and Zeno, reactions to these, and extracts
from the letter to Alcison (iii.4-5, 7,14 ,17, 20-1, 31, 33), texts related to
the Fifth Ecumenical Council (iv.38), 108 Justin II’s doctrinal Edict (v.4),
the dedications of Khusro II (vi.21). Each book also contains diversions
from the narrative. In Book i, Evagrius analyses the Devil’s assault on
the Church, relates Nestorius’ account of his exile, attacks pagans,
describes Symeon the Stylite’s lifestyle, and reviews the different types
of contemporary asceticism (i.l, 7,11,21). Bookii provides a description
of the shrine of Euphemia and her miraculous effusions (ii.3). In Book
iii, he moralizes on the consequences of lack of self-control and on oppor¬
tunity, and attacks the pagan historian Zosimus (iii.l, 26,40-1). Book iv
contains accounts of numerous saints and miracles, as well as the
analysis of the plague and a description of S. Sophia (iv.7, 15, 26-9, 31,
33-6). In Book v, Evagrius pays considerable attention to the characters
of leading figures, Justin, Gregory of Antioch, Tiberius and Maurice,
relates portents of Maurice’s succession, and reviews his own historio¬
graphical predecessors (v.l, 6, 9, 13, 19, 21, 24). Book vi opens with a
panegyrical description of Maurice’s marriage, contains a formal
speech delivered by Gregory to the eastern army, and describes the
career of Symeon Stylites the Younger (vi. 1,11, 23). It is perhaps signifi¬
cant that Books which contain a high proportion of ecclesiastical texts
(e.g. ii) have relatively little by way of other diversions from the narrative,
while the converse is also true (iv and v).
Evagrius employed different levels of stylistic presentation for his
different types of material, which has led to criticism of a choppy quality
in his style, with the flat narrative being interspersed with rhetorical high¬
lights. 109 There is some justice in this complaint, but criticism might have
been even harsher if Evagrius had composed the whole work in his basic
narrative style, without any relief. Evagrius’ rhetoric frequently has a
point: thus his praise of Marcian is enhanced by elaborate periphrasis
108 Evagrius’ failure to quote any of Justinian’s religious pronouncements has already
been noted, and should probably be linked with Evagrius’ hostility to this emperor because
of his eventual lapse into heresy.
109 Caires, 'Evagrius’ 49.
INTRODUCTION
lvii
(ii.l: e.g. the discussion of the name Augustus), and his condemnation of
Zeno’s wickedness is heightened by the digression on the consequences
of intemperance (iii.l). In general, imperial portraits are occasions for a
loftier style (e.g. iv.30; v.i.19; vi.l). Evagrius was a self-conscious writer,
who deliberately builds up parallel and antithetical sequences to demon¬
strate his artistry: for example, God’s care for men in the context of the
526 earthquake at Antioch is described as follows:
which devises cures before the blow, and tempers the sword of
anger with mercy, which exhibits its own sympathy at the very
moment of despair, raised up Ephrem, who directed the reins of
the eastern realm, to assume every care so that the city should
not lack any necessities. And as a consequence the sons of the
Antiochenes, in admiration, elected him as priest. And he ob¬
tained the apostolic see, being allotted it as a reward and privilege
for his especial support (iv. 6, p. 156:14-21).
Three relative clauses portray the operation of God’s care: Ephrem’s
position as comes Orientis is described obliquely, the inhabitants of
Antioch are graced with a periphrasis, and finally Ephrem’s appointment
as patriarch is reported indirectly.
Metaphors play an important part in Evagrius’ linguistic amplifica¬
tion and variation. 110 Thus Anastasius of Antioch’s opposition to Justi¬
nian’s Aphthartodocetist heresy is elevated with military terminology:
Justinian assailed this man like some impregnable tower by ap¬
plying contrivances of all sorts, reckoning that, if he could shake
this one, there would be no toil left in capturing the city and en¬
slaving the correct doctrines and taking captive the flocks of
Christ. But to such an extent was he [Anastasius] elevated aloft
by his sacred courage - for he had taken his stand upon the immo¬
vable rock of the faith - that he even opposed Justinian in public
... (iv.40, p. 191:7-14). 111
Similarly strong language is used of other heretics: Arius was Tettererd
in the shackles forged at Nicaea; furthermore, Eunomius and Macedo¬
nia had been shipwrecked in the Bosporus and shattered at the city of
110 There is a full collection in Thurmayr, Studien 15-46, with copious parallels from
other late Greek authors.
111 Cf. the language applied to the Devil ati.l.
lviii
EVAGRIUS
Constantine’ (i.l, p. 6:7-11). Not surprisingly, the tirades against
pagans (i.l 1) and Zosimus (iii.41) contain emotive rhetoric, as does the
legalistic challenge to Nestorius (i.7). There is a variety of metaphorical
expressions for assuming or wielding authority, and for death: thus
Justinian ‘departed to the lowest places of punishment. But Justin ...
donned the purple after him’ (v.l, p. 195:5-10); ‘Marcian exchanged
kingdoms by departing for the better fate’ (ii.8, p. 55:9-11); ‘Maurice
ascended to the imperial power when Tiberius was drawing his last
breaths’ (v.22, p. 217:9-10). Common variants are expressions which
involve wielding sceptres, binding on crowns, steering the state,
entering the universal resting-place, measuring out life. Evagrius care¬
fully varied his expressions for such events which recur frequently in
his narrative.
Many aspects of Evagrius’ style reflect the standard Greek of the later
Roman empire, especially the Greek of ecclesiastical and legal rhetoric
which formed the basis for his professional career. This point can be illu¬
strated through Festugiere’s comment (314 n.26) on the words npKnovioK
jtoiffiv (iii.9, p. 108:26), which he translates as ‘being in good health’,
remarking that Evagrius has characteristically replaced a standard
expression with a bizarre turn of phrase; I disagree with Festugiere’s
translation of the phrase, 112 but the significant point for the current
discussion is that Evagrius is here quoting from a letter of the bishops of
Asia to Patriarch Acacius - if the phrase is bizarre, this was how
bishops chose to express themselves. A comparable example of Evagrius’
adoption of a standard stylistic device is his frequent use of 7.0x6;, ‘the
same’ or ‘this’, to which Festugiere draws attention (205 n.lO). The same
trait has been identified in Malalas, where it is suggested that it imparted
a legalistic tone - though bureaucratic would perhaps be as good a
characterization: 113 it is part of the process of lending solemnity to the
narrative, which also included superfluous qualifying phrases such as
‘so-called’, ‘as it is known’, or ‘the aforesaid’.
Avoidance of common modes of expression is part of this campaign
for elevation: 114 cities are rarely referred to by their simple name, but
rather as the ‘city of Antiochus’ or ‘the city of the Antiochenes’;
Constantinople is graced with a range of periphrases, Byzantium, ‘the
112 See iii n. 35 below.
113 M. Jeffreys. 'Bury’ 43.
114 Cameron and Cameron, ‘Christianity’; Averil Cameron, Agathias ch. 8.
INTRODUCTION
lix
imperial city’, ‘the queen of cities’, ‘the new Rome’, ‘the newer Rome’.
Official positions and titles tend to be presented indirectly, as in the
case of Ephrem noted above, though there are exceptions in the citation
of the acta of Chalcedon (ii. 18), and Longinus is described as holding
‘the office of magister, which men previously called commander of
the regiments at court’ (iii.29, p. 125:28-9). 115 The same applies to
foreigners: the Huns are presented as Scythians (i. 17, p. 26:26), or if
their modern name is used it is qualified as ‘the Massagetae of old’
(iii.2, p. 100:10); Goths and Avars are also described as ‘Scythians’
(iii.25, p. 122:10; v.l, p. 196:6-7), and the Goths perhaps as Massagetae
(v.14, p. 209:31) though Evagrius is not consistent and sometimes uses
the contemporary term (Gothic at iii.27, p. 124:10; Avars at vi.10, p.
228:21). Such periphrases have been identified as characteristic of
secular historians like Agathias and Theophylact. 116 But Evagrius was
also prepared to be explicit: in his description of S. Sophia he provided
facts and figures, which can largely be corroborated from the extant
building (iv.31), and his description of the ecclesiastical complex of S.
Euphemia at Chalcedon is also a clear account of the complicated
structure (ii.3). 117 Evagrius’ stylistic practice cannot be encapsulated in
a neat generalization.
With Evagrius the late antique tradition of ecclesiastical historiography
came to an end. For Allen, the explanation rested with the constraints
of the genre, which Evagrius had stretched to breaking-point by his inclu¬
sion of substantial quantities of secular material and by the adoption of
the higher style of the classicizing secular tradition. 118 This explanation,
however, seems too mechanical: it disregards the precedents provided
by the fifth-century church historians for both these practices, the fact
that much formal ecclesiastical literature was couched in a fairly rheto¬
rical form, and the significant ways in which Evagrius reshaped his
115 There is also a partial admission of a Latin term in the description of Vitalian as
‘general of one of the so-called praesental armies’ (iv.3), and curopalatus is used, with ap¬
propriate explanation at v.l. Thurmayr, Studien 11, provides a list of Latinisms, but does
not distinguish between those preserved in quoted documents (the majority) and those for
which Evagrius was personally responsible.
116 Averil Cameron, Agathias 88.
117 Caires, ‘Evagrius’ 34, compares Evagrius favourably with the vaguer descriptions of
buildings in Procopius’ panegyrical Buildings.
118 Allen, Evagrius 69-70.
lx
EVAGRIUS
secular material through selective emphasis (particularly in the case of
the Procopian narrative, as discussed above). One factor in the demise
of ecclesiastical historiography is likely to have been the general decline
in the availability of education in the late sixth and early seventh centu¬
ries as the majority of cities, whose elites had financed the classical
training of their sons in the expectation of benefits in terms of imperial
employment and status, contracted or were captured in the diverse
attacks to which the empire was subjected. But this cannot be the sole or
complete explanation, since in Constantinople an educated elite did
survive, especially in the Church where complex doctrinal arguments
were still in progress, and so there should have been individuals with the
capacity to compose a narrative of ecclesiastical events, if that had been
regarded as desirable.
Ecclesiastical historians, at least those writing from within the
orthodox or approved community, had always had trouble in dealing
with unresolved ecclesiastical business: Eusebius left the Arian heresy
to be handled by others; Socrates, Sozomen and Theodoret had simi¬
larly evaded the full complexities of the Nestorian controversy; and
Evagrius records less about Christological issues in the sixth century
than the disputes of the fifth. Any successor to Evagrius would have
had to tackle the Monothelete dispute of the mid-seventh century and,
even if a writer at the end of the seventh century might have felt confi¬
dent about reporting this controversy, the arguments about icon
worship soon emerged as an equally divisive topic. Another awkward
issue was the spectacular failure of the Christian empire when faced
by the challenge of Islam. Eusebius’ presentation of the achievements
of Constantine as proof of the validity of the Christian message had
established the precedent for ecclesiastical historians to incorporate
secular events into their narrative as material which was relevant to
the reporting of God’s work in the world. The author of a continuation
to Evagrius would have to decide how to present the successful estab¬
lishment of a rival religion. Narrative strategies could have been
devised to cope with this: for example the formulation evident in
Monophysite sources, that Arab successes were the consequence of
heresy, could have been adapted to apply to imperial support for the
Monothelete formula, but there would still have been the question of
why God did not reward the Christians once correct belief had been
restored. For a variety of reasons a providential history might have
seemed too difficult to contemplate.
INTRODUCTION
lxi
TEXT AND TRANSLATION
It is difficult to detect the impact of Evagrius’ History or identify readers
in subsequent centuries. It may have influenced the shape of his cousin
John of Epiphania’s secular history of the Persian War of 572-91, and
so, via John, the extant narrative of Theophylact Simocatta. 119 It
became relevant during the iconoclast disputes of the eighth century
since it provided the earliest evidence for the acheiropoietos image of
Edessa, with the result that the text of iv.27 was an object of contention
at Second Nicaea, the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787. 120 In the
ninth century Photius read Evagrius and accorded him a brief assess¬
ment (Bibl. cod. 29), in the tenth century Symeon Metaphrastes (PG
114, col. 392) knew Evagrius’ story of the miraculous star at Symeon
Stylites’ shrine (i. 14), and Nicephorus Callistus c. 1300 used Evagrius as
a source, but this is not a rich haul. On the basis of the infrequency of
citations, Bidez and Parmentier concluded their survey of the manu¬
script tradition with the observation that copies ‘became scarce at an
early date’; 121 the prospects for survival were enhanced in the eleventh
century when Evagrius was attached to Socrates or Sozomen to provide
a substantial ecclesiastical narrative which embraced the first five
Ecumenical Councils.
Four manuscripts contributed to the construction of the authorita¬
tive Bidez-Parmentier text, one each from the eleventh through to the
fourteenth centuries, of which by far the most important is the twelfth-
century Laurentianus lxx. The printed history of the text falls into three
phases. The first edition by Stephanus (Paris, 1544) was based on a
single poor sixteenth-century Paris manuscript, but for two centuries
this served as the basis for various translations, of which some also
recorded corrections and conjectures; the most important of these was
that of J. Christophorson (Louvain, 1570; Paris, 1571). The publication
by Valesius (Henri de Valois) of a new text of the Greek ecclesiastical
historians with Latin translations (Paris, 1673) marked the second
phase, since this was based on a much wider sample of the manuscript
tradition (though not yet Laurentianus lxx), and exploited the notes and
suggestions of scholars who had worked with Stephanus’ text. Valesius’
119 Whitby, Maurice 245.
120 See Chrysostomides, ‘Investigation’ xxvii, though for rejection of Chrysostomides’
theories about Evagrius, see Appendix 2.
121 Bidez-Parmentier, Introduction viii.
lxii
EVAGRIUS
edition went through numerous reprints, most importantly providing the
text for the Patrologia Graeca (PG 86.2; 1865). This edition generated
further translations, including the standard English version, which was
published without indication of author as volume VI of The Greek Eccle¬
siastical Historians of the First Six Centuries of the Christian Era, in six
volumes (London, 1846), and then included in H. G. Bohn’s Ecclesias¬
tical Library. 122 Eventually, recognition of the importance of Lauren-
tianus lxx paved the way for a new edition to be commissioned as part
of J. B. Bury’s projected series of Byzantine Texts, an initiative whose
main memorial is the edition of Evagrius by J. Bidez and L. Parmentier
(Methuen, London, 1898). 123 The Bidez-Parmentier text provided the
basis for the French translation by A. J. Festugiere Byzantion 45 (1975),
187-488.
I have used the standard text of Bidez and Parmentier, whose pagina¬
tion is included in square brackets in the translation, except at a handful
of instances, signalled in the notes, where suggestions of Festugiere have
seemed preferable. I have found the anonymous BEL translation to be
pretty accurate overall, even though it is based on the edition of Valesius;
Festugiere’s translation is less precise, especially in complex passages,
although there are useful notes on linguistic, textual and some historical
matters. I have tried to mark those places where I depart significantly
from their respective interpretations. This translation aims to provide
an accurate version of Evagrius’ Greek, one which respects his stylistic
preferences and idiosyncracies but which is still comprehensible to the
intended readership. Granted that Evagrius’ contemporaries would
have found his style somewhat formal and different from everyday
language, there is intended to be a slightly rhetorical and periphrastic
feel to the translation. Each translator has their own preferences in
weighing up the competing claims of precision and readability, and
objections can be raised against any particular compromise.
The notes are intended to guide readers towards other relevant texts,
and in particular to Evagrius’ sources, and to provide clarification of
122 This translation is sometimes attributed to H. G. Bohn (Chrysostomides. ‘Investiga¬
tion’ xxvii n. 48), or H. A. Bohn (Averil Cameron, ‘Iconoclasm’ 39 n. 27), but I am not sure
on what authority.
123 The series only produced four volumes: the others are F. J. Hamilton and E. W.
Brooks, The Syriac Chronicle known as that of Zachariah of Mitylene (1899); C. Sathas,
The History ofPsellus (1899); S. P. Lambros, Ecthesis Chronica and Chronicon Athenarum
(1902).
INTRODUCTION
lxiii
historical and historiographical issues. The history of the Church in the
fifth and sixth centuries is a complex business, and it is not my aim to
supply a narrative: those interested should consult the general histories
or studies by Fliche and Martin, Frend, McGuckin or Meyendorff. For
secular events and issues, Jones’ Later Roman Empire is still supreme,
although the forthcoming volume XIV of the Cambridge Ancient
History will supply narrative and analysis on a wide range of relevant
matters. 124 Pauline Allen’s various studies of Evagrius have made the
task of annotation much easier than it might have been. I have inevitably
noted places where I am in disagreement with her suggestions or inter¬
pretations, but that is because she has produced the authoritative treat¬
ment of Evagrius; such differences should not disguise the extent of my
appreciation for her work.
124 There is also a briefer and simpler narrative in S. Williams and J. G. P. Friell, The
Rome that did not Fall: the survival of the East in the fifth century (London, 1999).
CHAPTERS OF THE FIRST BOOK OF THE
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF EVAGRIUS
THE SCHOLASTICUS AND EX-PREFECT
FROM EPIPHANIA 1
HI 1. Prelude by the author, how he came to write the present work.
Then the chapter one, that although heresies had ceased for a short time
after the overthrow of the impious Julian, subsequently the evil Devil
again disrupted the Faith.
2. How Nestorius was revealed through the teaching of his disciple
Anastasius the deacon to be calling the holy Mother of God not Theo¬
tokos but Christotokos.
3. What the great Cyril wrote to Nestorius, and how the Third
1 The different MSS of Evagrius in total preserve nine sets of chapter headings for the six
Books of the Ecclesiastical History, two each for Books i, iii and iv, one each for the remain¬
ing Books. These headings can be divided into two, or just possibly three, groups. One group
consists of those introduced with the formula ‘These are the contents’ (rads evecttiv),
namely the headings for Books ii(l), iii(l), iv(l), v and vi; the headings are succinct, but
provide a reasonable guide to the contents of the following Book. This group is preserved
in the MSS tradition represented by Laurentianus 79, Patmiacus 688 and Baroccianus 142,
but is absent from Laurentianus 70 (the lists for Books v and vi were copied, along with
surrounding material, into lacunae in this MS by a later scribe: see Bidez-Parmentier,
Introduction v). The second group comprises Books ii(2), iii( 2), iv(2), all of which are intro¬
duced as ‘Chapters’ (K£<t>dA.ouai), and perhaps 1(2) which is described at the end of the title
as A,6yot k, literally ‘twenty accounts', here certainly referring to the twenty headings which
follow: in each case the list is contained only in Laurentianus 70, and it is significantly
shorter than the other list which survives. The remaining list. Book i(l) is preserved only in
Baroccianus 142; this tends to tie it to the first group (though Laurentianus 79 and
Patmiacus 688 do not contain it), as does the greater fullness of the descriptions of the
chapter contents; however, the title introduces the list as ‘Chapters’ (K£<t>dA.oua), as in the
Laurentianus 70 lists.
Although ancient authors sometimes equipped their works with lists of contents, a prac¬
tice indeed which can be specifically connected with ecclesiastical historians, it is not possi¬
ble to demonstrate that Evagrius was responsible for any of those which survive. Nor can
the priority of one group of lists over the other be proven, although I tend to regard those
connected with Laurentianus 70 (the MS which represents the oldest state of the text: see
Bidez-Parmentier, Introduction viii) as the first version, which was then expanded by a
copyist in the interests of greater clarity.
2
EVAGRIUS
Synod was convened at Ephesus, although John of Antioch and Theo-
doret were late.
4. Elow Nestorius was deposed by the Synod, even though the
bishop of Antioch was not present.
5. That when John of Antioch came after live days, he deposed Cyril
of Alexandria and Memnon of Ephesus; these the Synod again absolved,
after deposing John and his followers. And how Cyril and John were
brought together by Theodosius the emperor, while still confirming the
deposition of Nestorius.
6. Concerning Paul of Emesa’s journey to Alexandria, and Cyril’s
praise by means of a letter.
7. What the impious Nestorius wrote about himself, what he had
suffered, and that after his tongue had finally been consumed by worms
he terminated his life at Oasis.
12 ] 8. That after Nestorius came Maximianus, and after him Proclus,
then Flavian.
9. Concerning the ill-omened Eutyches and how he was deposed by
Flavian of Constantinople, and concerning the Second Robber Synod
at Ephesus.
10. All that the senseless Synod at Ephesus accomplished through
Dioscorus and Chrysaphius.
11. Defence by the author of the disputes among us, and mockery of
pagan follies.
12. How Emperor Theodosius drove out the heresy of Nestorius.
13. Concerning S. Symeon the Stylite.
14. Concerning the star which often appeared in the colonnade
surrounding the column of the holy Symeon, which the writer and
others had seen, and concerning the saint’s head itself.
15. Concerning S. Isidore of Pelusium and Synesius, Bishop of
Cyrene.
16. How Ignatius the Theophorus was transported from Rome and
buried in Antioch by Theodosius.
17. Concerning Attila, King of the Scythians and how he overthrew
the East and the West; and concerning the strange earthquake which
occurred and the other fearful signs in heaven.
18. Concerning the buildings at Antioch and those who constructed
these.
19. Concerning the various Italian and Persian wars which occurred
under Theodosius.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
3
20. Concerning Empress Eudocia and her daughter Eudoxia, and
how she came to Antioch and Jerusalem.
21. The beneficial arrangements which Eudocia made for affairs in
Jerusalem; and concerning the varied life and regime of the monks in
Palestine.
22. All that Empress Eudocia built in Palestine, and concerning the
Church of Stephen the first martyr, where indeed she was piously
buried. Furthermore also about the death of Emperor Theodosius.
|3] OF EVAGRIUS THE SCHOLASTICUS AND EX-PREFECT
OF EPIPHANIA, TWENTY CHAPTERS OF ECCLESIASTICAL
HISTORY
1. The prelude, and concerning the presbyter Anastasius who was a
contemporary of Nestorius.
2. Concerning Nestorius who followed that man.
3. Concerning the First Synod which was assembled at Ephesus and
everything which happened at it.
4. Concerning Paul, Bishop of Emesa, and the letters of John and
Cyril and their union.
5. Concerning the banishments of Nestorius and his letters
concerning this.
6. Concerning the election of Maximian and Proclus after
Nestorius, and of Flavian after them.
7. Concerning what was set in motion by Bishop Eusebius against
Eutyches at Constantinople.
8. Concerning the Second Synod at Ephesus which Dioscorus the
successor of Cyril controlled.
9. Concerning the recall of Eutyches and all those who were deposed
at that Synod.
10. Attack on pagans and their worship.
11. Concerning what Emperor Theodosius ordained against
Nestorius.
12. Concerning Symeon the Stylite who is among the saints, and a
description of his enclosure.
13. Concerning Isidore of Pelusium and Synesius Bishop of Cyrene.
14. Concerning Ignatius who is among the saints, and concerning
Babylas who is among the saints.
4
EVAGRIUS
15. Concerning the war against Attila, and earthquakes throughout
the world.
16. Concerning Memnon, Zoilus, and Callistus and Anatolius.
17. Concerning disturbances in Europe and the East, and concerning
Claudian and Cyrus the poets.
HI 18. Concerning Eudocia and Eudoxia.
19. Concerning the monasteries which Eudocia built in Jerusalem,
and the varied practice of monks.
20. Concerning the Church of S. Stephen in which she was buried,
and the death of Theodosius after her.
|5] BOOK I OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS OF EPIPHANIA, SCHOLASTICUS AND
EX-PREFECT
Eusebius son of Pamphilus - this was a man who was particularly erudite
in various respects and especially in the ability to persuade his readers to
practise our faith, even if he was not capable of making them absolutely
correct. 1 Now Eusebius son of Pamphilus, Sozomen, Theodoret, and
Socrates have elaborated better than everyone else the arrival amongst
us of the benevolent God, the ascent to heaven, all the accomplishments
both of the venerable apostles as well as of the martyrs who contended
to the end, or anything else indeed done by others which for us is praise¬
worthy, or indeed otherwise, up to a point in the reign of Theodosius. 2
1 Pamphilus, a pupil of Origen who suffered martyrdom in 309, was teacher of Eusebius,
Bishop of Caesarea c. 315^40; Barnes, Constantine 94, suggests that Eusebius must have
been adopted by his tutor to account for Ihe common appellation ‘son of Pamphilus’.
Eusebius’ ability to attract converts probably refers to his Praeparatio Evangelica and
Demonstratio Evangelica, which upheld the Christian rejection of pagan traditions and
proved the truth of the Gospels by reference to the Old Testament. As a reluctant supporter
of the Nicene Creed because he disliked the term homoousios, ‘consubstantial’, his
orthodoxy was suspect (Socrates i.8.34, 23.6-8; ii.21). For full discussion, see Barnes,
Constantine Part 2, and for his doctrinal position 215-16, 226-7.
2 The notion of operating within a historiographical sequence was important for all the
early church historians. Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History had narrated the affairs of the
Church down to the establishment of Christianity by Constantine, and his Life of Constan¬
tine extended this to the emperor’s death in 337. The narrative of Eusebius’ EH was deliber¬
ately continued by various authors, for example Gelasius of Caesarea, but Sozomen,
Theodoret and Socrates, who all flourished under Theodosius II (408-50), overshadowed
Ihe alternatives. Sozomen’s work now terminates in the 420s and has little to say of the
ecclesiastical events of Theodosius II’s reign (though it may be unfinished), Theodoret
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
5
Since subsequent events, which are not far inferior to these, have not
obtained any sort of sequential account, 3 1 decided, even though I am
not expert at such matters, to undertake the labour for their sake and to
make these into an account, putting full trust in Him who both gave
wisdom to fishermen and changed an unreasoning tongue into articulate
eloquence. 4 I decided to resurrect deeds already deadened by oblivion,
to bring them to life in word, and to make them immortal in memory, 5
so that each of the readers may be able to know the what, when, where,
16 ] how, to whom, and by whom things happened up to our time, 6 so
stopped in 428, i.e. before the appointment of Nestorius with whose Christological views he
had considerable sympathy, and Socrates finished his narrative in 439. Evagrius declines to
name the Arian Philostorgius, whose church history (now fragmentary) also continued Eu¬
sebius’ account to the middle of Theodosius’ reign.
Ps.-Zachariah (ii. 1) has a similar allusion to the sequence of Eusebius, Socrates and Theo-
doret, which extended to the 32nd year of Theodosius II (i.e. 439/40).
For discussion of the contents of church histories, see introduction; also Markus, ‘Church
History’; Chesnut, Historians; Allen, Evagrius ch. 3. At v.24 Evagrius provides an extended
review of the historiographical tradition in which he placed himself.
3 There were at least two continuators in Greek to this sequence of ecclesiastical histor¬
ians, Theodore Lector, whose work, of which only fragments now survive, extended to the
accession of Juslin I (518), and Zachariah of Mitylene whose work terminated at the acces¬
sion of Anastasius (491); an abridged version of Zachariah survives in a sixth-century Syriac
church history (pseudo-Zachariah). Although there is no evidence that Evagrius knew Theo¬
dore’s work, he certainly used Zachariah but refused to accord this Monophysite writer a
place in the canonical sequence of church historians. For the importance of the orderly se¬
quence of church history, see Markus, ‘Church History’ 8, and Allen, Evagrius 47-8.
4 A reference to the miracle of Pentecost (Acts 2:1^4). An apology for lack of literary
competence was traditional, and parallels can be found in secular as well as ecclesiastical
history, hagiography and panegyric: e.g. Agathias, Hist, preface 12-13; Menander Protec¬
tor fr. 1:2; Theophylact, Hist, preface 16; Socrates vi pref. 1-5; Sozomen i. 1.10; Theodoret,
EH i.l.; ps.-Zachariah ii.l; Life of Daniel 1 ;Life of Euthymius, dedication, p. 6:17-21; Paul
the Silentiary, Ecphrasis 99-114.
5 Fear of oblivion is also traditional: e.g. Procopius, Wars i.l. 1; Agathias, Hist, preface
1-2; John of Epiphania 1; Theodoret, EH i.l.2, p. 4:13; Life of Euthymius 1. p. 8:14-17. The
need to remember important deeds can be traced back to the preface of Herodotus, and is
present in Diodorus Siculus i.2, the most influential of all historical prefaces on later Greek
authors; in secular authors remembrance is often associated with the didactic function of
history (e.g. the prefaces to Diodorus or Agathias), but this theme is not exploited by eccle¬
siastical historians.
For a specific example of the preservation of information by Evagrius, see i.7, p. 12:16-19.
6 It may be significant that this list does not include causation, the ‘why’, an element
which is prominent in secular historians.
6
EVAGRIUS
that nothing worthy of remembrance may escape notice through
concealment under neglectful and slack indolence and its neighbour
oblivion. I will begin with divine assistance in the lead, from the point
where the aforementioned terminated their narrative.
1 The impiety of Julian had only just been washed away by the blood of
the martyrs and the madness of Arius fettered in the shackles forged at
Nicaea; furthermore, Eunomius and Macedonius had been shipwrecked
in the Bosporus and shattered at the city of Constantine; 7 and now the
holy Church had wiped away the fresh filth and was being brought back
to her ancient beauty, clad and adorned in golden raiment, 8 and was
being united with the beloved bridegroom. 9 Unable to tolerate this, the
Devil, the hater of good, caused a certain foreign and quite different war
to arise against us, despising the idolatry that was trampled underfoot
and shoving aside the servile insanity of Arius. 10 And whereas he was
7 Although Julian (361-3) attempted to avoid the creation of new martyrs, who would
only strengthen Christianity, it was impossible to restrain pagan anger or prevent Christian
enthusiasts from provoking violent reactions; hence there were several martyrdoms, for
which see Sozomen v.4, 7-11, 20; Socrates iii.2, 12, 15, 19; Theodoret, EH iii.7, 11, 15, 17-
19. The anti-Arian shackles forged at Nicaea (325), i.e. the homoousian creed which upheld
Ihe perfect equality of God the Father and God the Son, were only firmly imposed during
(he reign of Theodosius I (378-95), especially as a result of the second Ecumenical Council,
which was held at Constantinople in May 381.
Eunomius, Bishop of Cyzicus, was one of the leading exponents of the Anomoean posi¬
tion that the Son, as part of the created order, was fundamentally different from (unlike:
avopoio?) the Father: see Sozomen vi.26. Macedonius, Bishop of Constantinople (342—
60), although ultimately expelled from his see at the behest of the Arianizing Constantius,
was another neo-Arian or semi-Arian; he was associated with the anti-Nicene position that
Ihe essence of the Son was like (but not the same as) that of the Father (i.e. homoiousios not
homoousios ), and his name was posthumously attached to the doctrine of the Pneumatoma-
chi who denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Both Eunomius and Macedonius were among
Ihe heretics specifically condemned at Constantinople: see, for example, Theodoret, EH
v.9.19. For the image of shipwreck, cf. 1 Timothy 1.19.
8 Psalm 45.9.
9 The bridegroom of the Song of Songs was regularly interpreted as an allegory for
Christ as husband of the Church, or of the individual soul: cf., for example, Jerome Letters
22.24-6, and in general, see Murray, Symbols 131-42.
10 Evagrius has modelled his analysis on Theodoret, EH i.2: the Devil, upset by the
serene voyage of the post-Constantinian Church but recognizing that the folly of idolatry
was exposed, did not dare to attack directly and so discovered some vainglorious Christians
who could be exploited to seduce others into error. Cf. Eusebius, EH iv.7.1-2: Satan attacks
Ihe Church through the innovation of heresy; Socrates, i.22.14—15: Satan, eager to ambush
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
7
afraid to assault the faith like an enemy, since it was fortified by so many
holy Fathers and he had been deprived of much of his force while besie¬
ging it, still like a thief he pursued the deed, devising anew certain ques¬
tions and answers and in a novel fashion bringing the errant towards
Judaism, 11 not comprehending - the wretch - the reverse that would
come from there as well: for what he previously held as his only adversary
he now cherished and embraced, and not so that in his arrogance he
might dislodge the entirety but that he might manage to counterfeit
even one word. 12 While frequently grovelling in his own wickedness he
the Church when the good are flourishing, creates Manichaeism as the enemy of the Church;
Gregory of Antioch, On the Baptism of Christ ii.10 (PG 88, col. 1881): the Devil stitches
together pretexts to destroy the peace of the Church.
Arius’ heresy was servile since he argued that Christ was merely an instrument of God.
11 It was common to castigate Christological opponents of Nicene orthodoxy as Judai-
zers, on the grounds that, as Subordinationists, they recognized God the Father but failed to
pay proper honour to God the Son: e.g. Socrates ii. 19; Theodoret, EH i.4.5. For Nestorius as
a Jew, see Evagriusi.2 \Koptische Akten 52^4; Severus, Letters 25, pp. 233,236-7; 31, p. 264;
Life of Sabas 38, p. 128.6-8; further references in Allen, Evagrius 75 n. 9. For Chalcedonians
as the new Jews: Athanasius, Life of Severus, p. 680; Severus, Letter i.60, p. 184. Nestorians
used the same accusation against their opponents: Barhadbeshabba 21, p. 533; 22, p. 535;
27, p. 564.
12 This has been described by Festugiere as an extraordinarily difficult passage. Two
main issues have to be resolved, the identity of Satan’s former adversary whom he now em¬
braces, and the word which is counterfeited. One possibility is to identify the word as homo-
ousios (‘consubstantial’) which by the addition of a single letter became the rival formula
homoiousios (‘of similar substance’): this is the view of BEL 256 n. 2, and by implication
Allen, Evagrius 75-6. In this case the former adversary would be the Arians, or neo-
Arians, but the last sentence of the chapter explicitly envisages that the Devil’s initiative
will be covered in Evagrius’ narrative, which does not apply to the homoiousian dispute.
Festugiere adopts a more complex solution (201 n. 5): the former adversary is the word
homoousios, and he translates ‘The word which previously he regarded as pre-eminently his
enemy’. The Devil embraced this term because of its ambivalence, since, if Christ was com¬
pletely consubstantial with God, He could not also be consubstantial with mankind: this
dilemma led either to the position of Nestorius, where the consubstantiality of Christ and
God was compromised, or to that of Eutyches where that of Christ and mankind was
denied. For Festugiere, the counterfeited word refers forward to the Chalcedonian-
Monophysite dispute which was produced by the Devil’s acceptance of the principle of con-
substantiality. This solution is certainly preferable, since the chapter has a clear chronologi¬
cal progression: the Nicene disputes with Arians and neo-Arians have already been resolved
by the Council of Constantinople, after which the Devil has to look around for a new device
to undermine the Church; he picks on Nestorius, whose heresy inspired the disputes which
culminated in Chalcedon.
EVAGRIUS
contrived a variation even of a letter, which on the one hand tends
towards the same meaning, but still in such a way that he might separate
the thought from the utterance so that both might not harmoniously
offer to God the same confession and praise. 13 How each of these things
was done and where each has ended up, I shall set out at the appropriate
times, interweaving in addition anything else which I may have been
able to discover which is incidental but worthy of narration, and laying
aside the narrative at the point where it may please our benevolent God.
17] 2 Nestorius, then, the tongue that fought God, the second sanhedrin
of Caiaphas, 14 the factory of blasphemy, in whom Christ is again a
subject of contract and sale, by having His natures divided and torn
apart - He who, according to Scripture, 15 even on the Cross itself did
not have any of His bones broken, nor His continuously woven tunic
One difficulty for Festugiere’s proposal is that Evagrius has not mentioned the term
homoousios, or indeed anything so doctrinally specific; in his translation Festugiere had to
supply ‘Le mot...'. but this solution threatens to introduce an ambiguity between this word
and the one which the Devil manages to counterfeit. I would prefer to identify the adversary
as the Jews, who were the Devil’s sole enemy before the coming of Christ but whom the
Devil now cherishes and embraces to the extent of attempting to seduce Christians
towards Judaism; Nestorius, widely regarded as an advocate of Judaism (see n. 11 above),
was therefore the Devil’s ambassador. Judaism is mentioned immediately before the intro¬
duction of the ‘only adversary’, so the connection is easy.
As Festugiere recognized, the counterfeited word has to be interpreted in the light of the
next sentence, as an anticipation of the Chalcedonian-Monophysite dispute between sv
(‘in’) and ek (‘out of), for which cf. Evagrius ii.5, pp. 52:27-53:20, and the next note. The
Devil was no longer able to dislodge Christians from the entirety of their faith (cf. Theodor-
et, EH i.2), in that both sides in the Christological dispute acknowledged the same God and
Christ. Although the attempt introduced dissension into the Christian community, the
overall result was a failure for (he Devil since Nestorius was ousted and his followers
exiled, while the competing communities of Chalcedonians and Monophysites both ac¬
knowledged the same God. For the use of the terminology of counterfeiting and forgery
with reference to heresy, cf., for example, Socrates ii.45.2; AGO I.i.3, pp. 14:23, 69:17, etc.
13 Cf. Evagrius ii.5, pp. 52:27-53:20, where Evagrius argues for the identity of meaning
of the Chalcedonian and Monophysite formulae, but laments the fact that the adversaries
prefer to die rather than agree about the glorification of God.
14 Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest responsible for the condemnation of Christ, was an
apposite parallel for Nestorius as patriarch (428-31). According to Severus (Letters 39, p.
300) Anastasius had used the analogy to describe the neo-Arian Council of Constantinople
in 360.
15 John 19.24, 36.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
9
torn apart by the murderers of God 16 - Nestorius thrust aside and
rejected the term ‘Mother of God’, which had already been forged by
the all-Holy Spirit through many elect Fathers; 17 he counterfeited,
forged in its place and stamped afresh the term ‘Mother of Christ’, 18
and in turn filled the church with countless wars, flooding it with
kindred bloodshed. Because of this, I think that I shall not be at a loss
for a sensible arrangement of the narrative, and that I will reach its
conclusion, if indeed, with the assistance of Christ who is God over all,
it should take its preface from the impious blasphemy of Nestorius. The
war of the Churches began as follows. 19
A certain Anastasius was a priest of unorthodox judgement, an
ardent admirer of Nestorius and the Judaizing beliefs of Nestorius,
who had also been the latter’s companion when he set out for his
16 The charge of rending Christ’s seamless garment as an image for heresies and schisms
is common: applied to Nestorius, Zachariah iii. 1, p. 41, andcf. Theodoret, EHi.4.5, p. 10:1;
to Arians, Athanasius, Life of Severus p. 631; to a possible schism, Schwartz, Sammlungen
64:11-14 (letter of Pope Felix to the Emperor Zeno); to Monophysites, Life of Golinduch
18, p. 166:12-15.
17 Use of the term Theotokos (‘Mother of God’) can be traced back to the fourth century
(Gregory, Vox 98, with 122 n. 86; Starowieyski. ‘Titre’), and had become an issue for discus¬
sion by the early fifth (Holum, Empresses 138-9; McGuckin, Cyril 22 and index s. v.); this
was a time of increasing attention to the status of the Virgin Mary as a patron and ideal for
monastic communities, and in particular for the Augusta Pulcheria who had vowed herself
to virginity.
18 For Nestorius’justification of the term, see i.7 withn. 55 below; also n. 23. Nestorius
did not regard the term Theotokos as heretical, but wanted to avoid the contentions that it
raised (Bazaar 99). Socrates, accepting that Nestorius did not deny the divinity of Christ,
said that he appeared to be scared of the term Theotokos as if it were some terrible phantom
(vii.32); this hints at what, apparently, was a concern of Nestorius, namely that use of the
term Theotokos might lead people to treat the Virgin as a goddess. For detailed discussion
of his Christology, see McGuckin, Cyril ch. 2.
19 Evagrius is unable to avoid some overlap with Socrates, whose narrative extended to
439 and mentioned Nestorius in its later chapters. On the basis of his own reading of
Nestorius’ writings, Socrates stated that he was not guilty of the popular charges of heresy
levelled against him and in particular did not share the view of Paul of Samosata that Christ
was a mere man; on the other hand, Socrates did convict Nestorius of an ignorant folly
which occasioned considerable discord in the churches (vii.32). From the much longer per¬
spective of Evagrius, the heresy of Nestorius was an accepted fact, and its establishment a
necessary preliminary to the crucial record of the Council of Chalcedon, so he had to cover
the same events as Socrates. For clear discussion of the complex developments between
Nestorius’ appointment (April 428) and the Council of Ephesus (431), see McGuckin,
Cyril 20-53.
10
EVAGRIUS
bishopric, 20 at the time when Nestorius encountered Theodore at
Mopsuestia and was diverted from piety after hearing his teachings -
as Theodulus has written in a letter about these things. 21 When Anasta-
sius was making an address to the Christ-loving populace in the church
of Constantinople, he dared to say in public: ‘Let no one call Mary
Mother of God. For Mary was mortal. And it is impossible for God
to have been born of a mortal.’ 22 When the Christ-loving populace
was displeased by this and properly regarded the address as blasphemy,
Nestorius, the teacher of the blasphemy, not only did not obstruct him
and support the correct doctrines, but on the contrary gave weight
very directly to what had been said by Anastasius by insisting quite
contentiously on these things. 23 And at certain points |8| inserting and
20 Cf. Socrates vii.32; Theophanes attributes the following anti-Marian sermon to
Nestorius’ syncellus, or cell-mate, whom he appears to distinguish from the Anastasius
who came from Alexandria as a supporter of the patriarch (88:15, 24-8; de Boor).
21 Cyril of Alexandria, writing to Sucessus of Diocaesarea, blamed the writings of
Diodorus (Bishop of Tarsus, 378-90) for misleading Nestorius (A CO I.i.6, pp. 151-2). Theo¬
dore, Bishop of Mopsuestia (392-428), had been a pupil of Diodorus and was recognized as
Ihe leading exponent of Antiochene theology in which the humanity of Christ was empha¬
sized: see Young, Nicaeci 199-213; Wallace-Hadrill, Antioch 119-26. Barhadbeshabba, ch.
20 p. 519, records that Nestorius broke his journey at Mopsuestia for two days to converse
with Theodore.
W. Ensslin plausibly identified this Theodulus with a pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia
who is mentioned in Gennadius, De Vir. Must. 91 and Marc. Com. s.a. 478: Pauly-
Wissowa, RE { 2) 10 (1934), 1967-8 s.v. Theodulos 28.
22 Cyril reported to Pope Celestine that a bishop Dorotheus (probably Dorotheus of
Marcianopolis) had proclaimed from the episcopal throne at Constantinople, ‘If anyone
says that Mary is Theotokos, let him be anathema.’ (ACO I.i.5, p. 11:6-10).
23 According to Socrates (vii.32.4) Nestorius delivered a series of sermons in justifica¬
tion of Anastasius’ position; there is a Latin version by Marius Mercator of parts of these,
or similar, sermons on Ihe Theotokos (ACO I.v, pp. 28-46), in which Nestorius argued for
Ihe term Christotokos (pp. 40:24-41:19,45:6-12) or the cleverly assonant term Theodochos
(‘receiver of God': pp. 30:27; 37:10-17). Contention arose when Proclus, Bishop of Cyzicus,
who had been one of Nestorius’ rivals for the see of Constantinople, delivered a sermon in
praise of the Virgin on the Sunday before Christmas 428 (the text survives: ACO I.i.l, pp.
103-7); Nestorius responded cautiously, but eventually said that to state that God was born
of Mary, without further qualification, would be susceptible to criticism by pagans who
would decline to worship a divinity who was born and died (Loofs, Nestoriana 337-8 =
ACO I.v, pp. 37:38-38:4). For this reconstruction, see Holum, Empresses 155-6; also Bar-
khuizen, ‘Proclus’.
Rufus, Plerophories 1, reports that Nestorius was miraculously afflicted by a demon
while pronouncing his blasphemies; ibid. 35-6, for Nestorius being challenged during
church services.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
11
interpolating his own opinions too, and disgorging the venom of his
soul, he attempted even more blasphemous teaching so that to the
peril of his own life he uttered, The one who became a two-month, or
three-month old object I would not call God.’ 24 This affair is clearly
recorded in Socrates and the first Synod at Ephesus. 25
3 When Cyril, the bishop of Alexandria of celebrated memory, took
issue with these things through private communications, Nestorius in
turn resisted these, was not persuaded by the writings of Cyril nor by
those of the bishop of elder Rome, Celestine, and poured forth his own
vomit on the whole Church, without consideration for anything. 26 With
the consent of the younger Theodosius, who was directing the sceptres
of the East, he reasonably requested that the first Synod at Ephesus be
convened, and imperial letters went to Cyril and those who everywhere
presided over the holy churches. 27 He declared the Holy Pentecost, on
24 This statement is a variant on the notion that it was not possible for a divinity to ex¬
perience birth or death: an eternal and immutable God could not go through the processes
of growing up or ageing. According to Socrates (vii.34.5) and Theophanes (90:8—10), Nes¬
torius uttered these words to the hostile bishops at Ephesus, adding, ‘And for this reason I
am cleansed of your blood. And from now on I will not return to you again.’ Theodotus of
Ankara attested that he had heard Nestorius say this at Ephesus, some time before the
Council, along with other criticisms of those who spoke of a suckling, or of birth from a
virgin in connection with God. Cf. n. 37 below.
25 Socrates vii.32, 34; relevant documents are gathered in ACO I.
26 The exchange between Cyril and Nestorius was read out at the Council of Ephesus
(ACO I.i.l, nos. 2 6), and that between Celestine and Nestorius also survives (ACO I.i.l,
nos. 10-11 [Greek]; I.ii, nos. 2^4 [Latin]). Tension between Nestorius and Cyril had arisen
when Nestorius received an appeal from certain Egyptian opponents of Cyril, but this was
rapidly engulfed by the Christological issue which Cyril may have exploited to divert atten¬
tion from the challenge to his local control. For discussion, see Grillmeier, Christ I. 473-83;
McGuckin, Cyril ch. 1.2; Young, Nicaea 213-29; Holum, Empresses 147-65; Gregory, Vox
88-100; G. Bardy in Fliche and Martin IV. 163-77.
27 The emperor Theodosius II, who had ultimately been responsible for the selection of
Nestorius as patriarch, was still a firm supporter, although his sister Pulcheria strongly fa¬
voured Cyril. Candidianus, comes domesticorum, was sent to Ephesus to maintain order,
but not to participate in proceedings; he too was a supporter of Nestorius, which indicates
the way in which the Council was intended to decide. The selection of Ephesus as site of the
meeting, however, was to operate decisively against the interests of Nestorius. In his formal
summons to the Council, Theodosius explained the decision on grounds of ease of access
and availability of supplies (ACO I.i.3, p. 31:19-22), but the Marian associations of the city
were probably equally important (Holum, Empresses 164: McGuckin, Cyril 40-1). There
was a tradition of competition between the bishops of Ephesus and Constantinople for
12
EVAGRIUS
which the life-giving Spirit came to visit us, as the appointed day of the
gathering. 28
And since Ephesus was no great distance from the city of Constan¬
tine, Nestorius arrived before everyone else. Cyril too and his associates
had appeared before the publicized day. But John, the prelate of the Anti¬
ochene church, together with his associates, failed to make the designated
day, 29 not deliberately, as appears from his numerous justifications, but
because he was unable to assemble his associates with great speed. For
from what was formerly Antioch, but is now referred to as Theopolis, 30
their cities are distant a journey of twelve days for a swift traveller, and
for some even more, while the city of Ephesus is about thirty days
distant from that of Antioch: 31 John asserted that he could never
influence in the province of Asia, and Nestorius had already shown a willingness to interfere
in Asia during his persecution of heretics (Holum, Empresses 164; Gregory, Vox 102), so
that the current bishop, Memnon, was a natural ally for Cyril. Nestorius’ supporters be¬
latedly realized their error over the location, and suggested Constantinople or Nicomedia
as alternative sites: ACO I.i.5, pp. 130:29-34. 134:19-28.
28 7 June 431. It was presumably hoped that the Holy Spirit would also inspire the as¬
sembled bishops. For a clear narrative of events, see McGuckin, Cyril 53-107.
29 The arrival of the delegations is described by Socrates (vii.34.2-3); Juvenal of Jerusa¬
lem also arrived late, but only by five days.
30 Antioch was renamed in 528, after a sequence of natural disasters (Malalas 443:16-
17).
31 John and the Eastern bishops, who were strong supporters of Nestorius, might have
been suspected of delay in order to undermine the local ascendancy achieved by Cyril and
Memnon, and were later accused of devious motives in the report of the Council sent to
Pope Celestine (ACO I.i.3, p. 6:8-11). While en route John had written to Cyril, stating
that he had been on the road for 30 days and suggesting that he had a further five or six
days to go; he was travelling as fast as the strength of his bishops and their pack animals
allowed (ACO I.i.l, no. 30). This letter reached Cyril on 21 June, being delivered by two of
John’s party, Alexander of Apamea and Alexander of Hierapolis, who were made to say
that John authorized the Council to proceed if there should be any further delay (ACO
I.i.3, p. 6:17-21): John had presumably meant any delay beyond the additional five or six
days of his journey, as is suggested by the reference to a further four days’ wait in the
formal objection which Candidianus made when the Council convened (ACO I.iv, p.
32:17-21), but the bishops’ statement was twisted against John in the report to Celestine
and used to justify an immediate start. The Eastern bishops subsequently defended their
late arrival in a letter to Theodosius; they had travelled overland, but as fast as possible
and without any breaks, and the journey had taken 40 days (ACO I.i.5, no. 153; = Bazaar
269). Evagrius presumably extracted the notion of a journey of 30 days from John’s letter,
and then used his own experience of episcopal travel in the diocese of Antioch to provide the
additional twelve days for local assembly.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
13
himself have arrived on the appointed day if his associates celebrated the
so-called New Sunday in their own sees. 32
4 And so when the appointed day had passed by fifteen days, |9| those
who had been assembled for this - since the Easterners were not
coming, or even if they did only after a considerable delay - convened
under the direction of the venerable Cyril, who occupied the place of
Celestine, namely the bishopric of elder Rome, as has been said. 33
Accordingly they summoned Nestorius, inviting him to oppose his accu¬
sers. Next, when Nestorius, after promising to be present on the
following day if it should be necessary, scorned the promises, and that
too after being summoned three times when he did not attend, those
who had gathered took the enquiry in hand. 34 And Memnon, the prelate
of the Ephesian church reviewed the passage of days since the appointed
day, which happened to be sixteen in number, 35 and there were read the
letters of the venerable Cyril which were composed by him to Nestorius,
and indeed those of Nestorius to Cyril himself, while that holy letter of
the supreme Celestine, the one that was to Nestorius himself, was also
32 The Sunday after Easter: Lampe s.v. KupiaKO^ 4.d.v. The Eastern bishops did not
mention Evagrius’ explanation, but excused their delay through a combination of famine,
popular unrest and torrential rain which threatened to flood Antioch, all of which had de¬
tained them in the city for a few days (ACO I.i.5, no. 153; p. 125:18-21).
33 21 June 431. Cyril, whose status as Celesline’s deputy is recorded in the list of partici¬
pants at the Council (ACO I.i.2, p. 3), would have known from the recent letter of John of
Antioch that the eastern contingent was close at hand, as indeed Nestorius and his suppor¬
ters among the bishops protested (ACO I.i.5, p. 14:2-6; = Bazaar 107). Cyril asserted that an
immediate start was necessary to avoid sickness among the assembled bishops (ACO I.i.2,
pp. 8:29-9:5; cf .ACO I.i.3, p. 6:11-15), but he had to overrule the protests of the emperor’s
representative, Candidianus, and a formal plea by 68 bishops, who urged that it was essen¬
tial to wait for all bishops to be present (Bazaar 106-8; ACO I.i.5, pp. 119:29-120:3). In spite
of the presence of some imperial troops, Ephesus was under the control of gangs assembled
by Cyril and Memnon (ACO I.i.5, pp. 121:21-31, 127:36-128:13; Bazaar 134, 266-7); in a
letter to the clergy of Constantinople Memnon countered by accusing the officials Candi¬
dianus and Irenaeus (comes Orientis ) of using their soldiers to intimidate the bishops, and
gathering a horde of rural inhabitants of church properties to prevent supplies from reach¬
ing the city (ACO I.i.3, p. 46:7-17).
34 The protracted process, which began on 21 June and continued after the official start
of the Council on 22 June, is recorded at ACO I.i.2, pp. 9:9-12:27.
35 ACO I.i.2, p. 8:24-8. Memnon was responding to a query from Firmus of Cappado¬
cian Caesarea.
14
EVAGRIUS
registered. 36 Theodotus, Bishop of Ancyra, and Acacius, who directed
the throne of Melitene, spoke once more the blasphemous phrases
which Nestorius belched forth publicly upon the city of Ephesus; 37 many
sayings of holy and elect Fathers which expounded the correct and
unblemished faith were interwoven too, and alongside there were also
inserted various foolish blasphemies of the impious Nestorius. 38 After
this the Holy Synod made the following pronouncement, word for
word: 39
In addition to the other matters, since the most honoured Nestor¬
ius has neither been willing to reply to our summons nor received
the most holy and pious bishops sent by us, we have of necessity
proceeded to the investigation of the impieties done by him; and
having found him to be thinking and pronouncing impiously, on
the basis both of his letters and of his writings which have indeed
been read out, and of what he spoke recently | 10 ] at this metropo¬
litan city, which has been confirmed by witnesses, of necessity
compelled by the canons and by the letter of our most holy
Father and fellow-minister Celestine, the bishop of the Roman
Church, with much weeping we have proceeded to this grim sen¬
tence: ‘Accordingly the one who has been blasphemed by him,
our Lord Jesus Christ, has ordained through the present holy
Synod that the same Nestorius is estranged from the episcopal
dignity and every priestly gathering.’
36 The Council opened with a reading of the Nicene Creed (ACO I.i.2, pp. 12:29 13:7),
after which Cyril’s second letter to Nestorius was read and accorded 125 separate attesta¬
tions of support as being in conformity with Nicene doctrine (pp. 13:8-31:5). The response
of Nestorius was then read, and it received 35 condemnations (pp. 31:6-35:29). Nestorius
was then anathematized (pp. 35:30-36:7), before the Council proceeded to a reading of Ce-
lestine’s letter and Cyril’s third letter to Nestorius (p. 36:8-25). Nestorius provides a lengthy
refutation of Cyril’s doctrinal position, and defence of his own, at Bazaar 141-85. For the
growing importance of documents in Church Councils, see Lim, Disputation ch. 7.
37 ACO I.i.2, p. 38:4-30. These blasphemies included the statement about the impossibil¬
ity of a two- or three-month-old God. Nestorius did not deny such statements, but insisted
that his comments had been taken completely out of context: Bazaar 13 6—41. Cf. n. 24 above.
38 A dossier of patristic extracts was then read out (ACO I.i.2, pp. 39:1—45:3: New Testa¬
ment, Athanasius, Julius and Felix of Rome, Theophilus of Alexandria, Cyprian, Ambrose,
Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa), followed by selections from Nestorius’
works which demonstrated his departure from accepted doctrine (pp. 45:4.-52:11). Nestor¬
ius presented a defence of his writings at Bazaar 186-265.
39 On 22 June: ACO I.i.2, p. 54:17-28. Minor textual variants are noted by Allen, Eva-
grius 77-8.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
15
5 Accordingly, after this most lawful and just sentence, Bishop John of
Antioch and his associate priests came to the city of Ephesus, five days
later than the deposition. And after convening all his associates he
deposed Cyril and Memnon. 40 Through accusations presented by Cyril
and Memnon to the Synod that had been assembled with them - even if
Socrates in ignorance narrated otherwise - John was summoned in
order to make a defence of the deposition which he had made. Since he
did not come to the meeting after three summons had been made, Cyril
and Memnon were absolved of the deposition, while John and his
associate priests were deprived of the holy communion and of all priestly
authority. 41 And at first Theodosius did not accept the deposition of
Nestorius; but later, after recognizing the blasphemy of that man, he
once more employed pious words to both Cyril and John the bishops;
40 Divergent reports on the Council’s proceedings had already been sent to the emperor
by Cyril, Nestorius and Candidianus, before John and the Easterners eventually arrived at
Ephesus on 26 June (five days later, counting inclusively). According to Socrates (vii.34.8)
Nestorius’ partisans had already met to depose Cyril and Memnon, but John immediately
convened his supporters in the presence of Candidianus, who reported his unsuccessful at¬
tempts to prevent the Council from convening on 22 June. John’s followers reviewed the
conduct of the earlier Council, and challenged the orthodoxy of Cyril’s Twelve Chapters (a
list of twelve heretical positions subject to anathema which Cyril appended to his third letter
to Nestorius; McGuckin, Cyril 44-6, 83^4). Consequently Cyril and Memnon were
deposed, and all who subscribed to Cyril’s Twelve Chapters were anathematized. These pro¬
ceedings were subscribed by 43 bishops (.4091.i.5, pp. 119:1-124:10), as opposed to the 200
or more who had supported Cyril.
41 Theodosius’ immediate reaction to the Council had been to reprimand its haste and
disorder, and to order all bishops to remain at Ephesus pending the resumption of delibera¬
tions under a new imperial official; this letter, written on 29 June, was brought to Ephesus on
1 July by the agens in rebus Palladius (ACO I.i.3, no. 83). Cyril, however, received encour¬
agement from the arrival of the legates of Pope Celestine, and at sessions on 10 and 11 July
the condemnation of Nestorius was endorsed (ACO I.i.3, no. 106). Cyril then turned his
attention to John and his supporters, who were summoned to attend sessions of the
Council on 16 and 17 July; on their refusal to respond to the customary summons, John
and 33 named bishops were deposed (ACO I.i.3, nos. 87-91).
Socrates’ account of the immediate aftermath to the Council (vii.34.8 13) diverges from
the acta at various points: Socrates states that Cyril and Memnon were deposed by a
meeting of Nestorius’ supporters, to which John gave full agreement after his arrival; Cyril
and Juvenal of Jerusalem then combined against John and deposed him; after the Council
concluded, supposedly on 28 June, the bishops returned to their sees and John assembled his
supporters to depose Cyril. It is unclear which error Evagrius has in mind, but it is perhaps
the mention of Juvenal rather than Memnon as the opponent of John (while Cyril and
Memnon launched their accusations, Juvenal appears to have acted in a presiding role at
the Council on 17 June).
16
EVAGRIUS
they came to an agreement with each other, and ratified the deposition of
Nestorius. 42
6 After Paul the bishop of Emesa came to the city of Alexandria, he
preached in the church the sermon concerning this which is in circulation,
on the occasion when Cyril too, after highly praising John’s letter, wrote
as follows in these words. 43
42 This sentence slides easily over a period of intense debate, first at Constantinople and
then in the diocese of Antioch, which lasted until autumn 432 (see McGuckin, Cyril 101-12).
Although Theodosius strongly supported Nestorius and condemned the haste of the Council
proceedings (see previous note), he was opposed by his sister Pulcheria whose support Cyril
was cultivating through lavish bribery (ACOI.iv, nos. 293^1; cf. Holum, Empresses 164-71),
and Dalmatius, the powerful head of the monastic communities at the capital. The new im¬
perial commissioner at Ephesus, Ihe comes John, who arrived in August, announced Ihe de¬
position and arrest of Nestorius, Cyril and Memnon. When these tactics failed to prompt a
reconciliation, delegates from each side were summoned to present their case to the emperor
in the Rufinianae Palace at Chalcedon, away from Ihe pressures of popular opinion in the
capital; this meeting on 11 September failed to reach a conclusion, and Theodosius then dis¬
solved Ihe Council, leaving the positions of Cyril and Memnon unresolved.
Nestorius had already asked Theodosius for permission to retire as patriarch and return to
his monastery at Antioch; this had been granted in early September, and was recognized by
his supporters as an admission of defeat (ACO I.i.7, nos. 55, 65). Theodosius grudgingly
allowed Memnon and Cyril to return to their sees, but was then a prime mover in the search
for reconciliation: discussions continued for the next twelve months to secure the agreement
of the Easterners to the deposition of Nestorius and to establish Ihe status of Cyril’s Twelve
Chapters; Eastern support for Nestorius gradually wavered and Cyril, while conceding the
orthodoxy of the Antiochene creed, managed to avoid condemnation of his Twelve Chap¬
ters. For discussion, see Grillmeier, Christ 1.488-501; McGuckin, Cyril 107-22. Theodosius’
letter to John is extant (ACO I.i.4, no. 120), but not that to Cyril.
43 Grammatically the sense runs over the chapter break, since the opening passage of
Chapter 6 lacks a main verb (‘preached’ is in fact a participle, i.e. ‘having preached’). Both
sets of chapter headings (translated above, at the start of the Book) distinguish between the
proceedings at Ephesus and the action of Paul of Emesa, but the first list at least (preserved
in Baroccianus 142) follows the received chapter breaks. There is no problem about the
sense of the passage, and the issue is merely a reminder that our current chapter divisions
may not always correspond to Evagrius’ organization of the text.
Paul of Emesa arrived in Alexandria in December 432, bringing a letter from John which
contained a profession of faith (ACO I.i.4, no. 123). Paul preached three times at Alexan¬
dria, once on peace (ACO I.i.7, pp. 173:27-174:3), and then two sermons in the Great
Church on 25 December and 1 January in which he stressed Mary’s status as Theotokos
(ACO I.i.4, nos. 124-5). Evagrius provides a close copy of extracts from Cyril’s reply
(ACO I.i.4. no. 127; see Allen, Evagrius 78 for some minor variants). After Paul’s return
from Alexandria, John issued a circular letter to announce his acceptance of reunion with
Cyril (ACO I.i.4, no. 130). See further McGuckin, Cyril 112-16.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
17
HU Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult; 44 for the inter¬
posed wall of partition is broken 45 and the source of grief has
ceased, and the means of all discord has been destroyed, since
Christ the Saviour of all of us has adjudicated peace for His
Churches and the emperors who are most pious and pleasing to
God have summoned us to this. They, becoming most excellent
imitators of ancestral piety, preserve the correct faith safe and un¬
shaken in their own souls, while they make especial their concern
for the holy Churches, so that they may both have widespread
glory unto eternity and proclaim their own reign most famous.
To them too does the Lord of Powers himself distribute blessings
with a generous hand, and enable them to overcome their adver¬
saries while freely bestowing victory. For he would not lie who
says; T live, says the Lord, because I shall glorify those who
glorify me.’ 46 Accordingly when my lord, my most pious brother
and fellow-minister Paul came to Alexandria, we were filled with
gladness, and most naturally, since such a man was acting as med¬
iator and had chosen to engage in labours beyond his power, in
order to conquer the envy of the Devil and unite what was
divided, to remove the intervening snares and garland with
concord and peace the Churches on our side and on your side. 47
And further on;
That the disunity within the Church has become completely
superfluous and without good cause, we are now fully satisfied
because my lord, the most pious Paul the bishop, has brought a
document which contains a faultless confession of faith and has
confirmed that it was drawn up [12| both by your holiness and by
the most pious bishops there. And the document was like this,
and was incorporated in this letter in these words: ‘Concerning
the Mother of God’, 48 and the rest. Having read these holy ex¬
pressions of yours and finding that we ourselves hold such
thoughts too - for there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism 49 -
44 Psalms 96.11.
45 Ephesians 2.14.
46 1 Samuel 2.30.
47 ACO I.i.4,pp. 15:24-16:11.
48 ACO I.i.4,pp. 16:21-17:1.
49 Ephesians 4.5.
18
EVAGRIUS
we glorified God the master of the universe, rejoicing with each
other that the churches on your side and on our side possess a
faith which is in accord with the divinely inspired Scriptures and
tradition of our holy Fathers. 50
And so anyone who diligently wants to grasp what was done at that time
can read this.
7 How Nestorius was cast out, or what happened to him after this, or
how he ended his life on earth, and the recompenses he encountered
because of his blasphemy, are not revealed by those who narrated this. 51
And they would have perished, completely faded away and been swal¬
lowed down by time without being even faintly heard, if I had not
happened upon a book of Nestorius which provides the narrative of
these things. 52
N estorius himself, then, the father of the blasphemy who did not place
his house upon the firm foundation, but built upon the sand, which indeed
50 ACO I.i.4, pp. 17:21-5.
51 Nestorius died sometime after the death of Theodosius on 28 July 450, to which he
alludes in Bazaar 369, and after it became clear that Dioscorus of Alexandria was likely to
be punished by the new regime of Marcian and Pulcheria. But Bazaar shows no knowledge
of the Council of Chalcedon in October 451, and it is likely that Nestorius died before in¬
formation about it reached Upper Egypt.
52 Of Evagrius’ fifth-century predecessors only Socrates had dealt at any length with the
deposition of Nestorius, and he did not report his fate after his return to Antioch in 431. On
3 August 435 Theodosius had ordered the destruction of all Nestorius’ works (Cod. Theod.
xvi.5.66), and Evagrius has reason to be proud of the information which he discovered: cf. n.
5 above for the theme of preserving information from oblivion.
Loofs, Nestoriana 203-4, followed by Abramowski ( Untersuchungen 29-32) included the
next two paragraphs among the fragments of the work known as Nestorius’ apologia, or
Tragedy, it is otherwise attested in a 13th-century catalogue of Nestorian writings. Abra¬
mowski also speculated that, because of the nature of the extracts, Evagrius came across
these Nestorian writings on a visit to Constantinople and could not consult them directly
when composing this chapter (op. cit. 15; accepted by Allen, Evagrius 79); Evagrius,
however, has included quite substantial quotes from Nestorius’ letters, and these are
focused on the main theme of this chapter, namely the proof of Nestorius’ heresy from the
exceptional punishment to which his own words bore witness. Nestorius’ condemned works
probably survived at various places in the East (cf. Pratum Spirituale 46 for a Palestinian
monk discovering two Nestorian works at the end of a scroll), though without necessarily
being easy for Evagrius to consult. They should, for example, have been available at Nisibis,
which became the centre for the teaching of Antiochene theology in the tradition of Theo¬
dore of Mopsuestia, after pressure on the School of Edessa in the 470s and 480s forced the
retreat of its main teachers and finally its closure: see Voobus, School chs. 1-2.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
19
was quickly dissolved in accordance with the parable of the Lord, 53
in addition to other matters of his own choice, wrote in reply to those
who accused him of unnecessarily making certain innovations and of
being quite wrong to request that the Synod at Ephesus be convened;
his defence for his blasphemy was that he had come to this stance out of
absolute necessity, since the holy Church was split and some were
saying that Mary ought to be called the Mother of Man, others the
Mother of God. He said that he conceived the term of Mother of Christ
lest one of two wrongs come about, either if people were locked in
undying conflict, 54 or |13] if one of the parties sided with him he would
be deprived of the other. 55
He indicated that at first Theodosius, out of sympathy for him, did not
ratify the expulsion that had come upon him; next, that after certain
bishops from both sides were sent to Theodosius from the city of
Ephesus, and when he also had petitioned, he was permitted to retire to
his own monastery which lies outside the gates of what is now Theopolis; 56
53 Matthew 7.26-7.
54 The text here has caused problems, for which see the apparatus in Bidez-Parmentier
and Festugiere 208 n. 19, although each concluded that the manuscript tradition was accep¬
table; their defence gives good sense, and I have followed their interpretations. For the term
‘Mother of Christ’, see n. 18 above.
55 Although Cyril triumphed at Ephesus and was clearly marshalling support for a
direct challenge to Nestorius during 430, the actual initiative for the Council did come
from Nestorius (Bazaar 286). The latter had received various complaints about Cyril’s
actions from Egyptian monks {ACO I.i.l, p. 111:21-30), and he was confident in the
support of Theodosius, who would appoint a suitably favourable secular official to oversee
the Council’s deliberations. Theodosius had also specified, when summoning the Council
on 19 November 430, that only a few reputable bishops should attend from each diocese
(ACO I.i.l, p. 115:19-26); this restriction would, if enforced, have weakened Cyril, who con¬
trolled the large block vote of his Egyptian subordinates.
Nestorius vehemently rebutted the charge that he had made innovations in Christology:
his argument was that a fierce dispute already existed between ‘Apollinarians’, who urged
the full divinity of Christ, and ‘Photinians’, who urged His full humanity; once the rhetoric
and labels of public dispute had been stripped away, Nestorius discovered that there was
very substantial agreement between the two sides, and so proposed the term Mother of
Christ as a compromise {Bazaar 97-100; Barhadbeshabba ch. 21, pp. 531-3; cf. n. 18
above); acceptance of the vocabulary of either of the disputing parties would immediately
have lost Nestorius the recognition of the other, and so he chose a middle course. Although
he discouraged the use of the term Theotokos, he did not regard it as heretical and, when he
withdrew to his monastery, he conceded that the term should be used if people wanted (So¬
crates vii.34.10).
56 For these developments, cf. nn. 41-2 above, adding Bazaar 284-6.
20
EVAGRIUS
it is not named explicitly after Nestorius, but they say it is now called the
monastery of Euprepius, which we know in truth to lie outside Theopolis,
at a distance of no more than two stades. 57 Nestorius himself, then, says
that he spent a period of four years there and received every honour and
enjoyed all privileges, and that when Theodosius passed another decree
he was banished to the place called Oasis. But the specific occasion he
kept secret. For not even when he was here did he abandon his particular
blasphemy, so that even John, the prelate of the Antiochene Church,
denounced this, and Nestorius was condemned to perpetual exile. 58
He also wrote another work in dialogue form concerning his exile to
Oasis, supposedly concocted for some Egyptian, in which he speaks
about these things more fully. 59 But what befell him on account of the
blasphemies conceived by him, since he was unable to escape the all-
seeing eye, may be gathered from other writings which he produced for
57 A stade is roughly equivalent to a furlong, 200 metres. According to Downey, Antioch
465 n. 65, the monastery is not otherwise known; the statement of Evagrius, a local resident,
is presumably correct.
58 Cf. Theophanes 91:12-17; Zonaras xiii.22.43^t; Socrates vii.34.10. Theophanes
records that John was concerned that many prominent Antiochenes were being seduced by
Nestorius’ teaching (Barhadbeshabba ch. 27, p. 564, accuses John of jealousy). There was
still considerable support for Nestorius among the eastern bishops: the influential Theodor-
et of Cyrrhus was only coerced most reluctantly in 435 into abandoning him and returning
to communion with John; Irenaeus and Photius were banished to the solitude of Petra (ACO
I.iv, nos. 277-8); Alexander of Hierapolis and fourteen other staunch Nestorians resisted all
pressure, and were deposed or punished in various ways in the same year (ACO I.iv, no.
279). Apart from Nestorius’ banishment, for which Petra was the original location (ACO
I.i.3, no. 110, p. 67:22-6), Theodosius ordered the destruction of Nestorian works and de¬
prived his followers of the name of Christians, specifying that henceforth they be known as
Simonians ( Cod. Theod. xvi.5.66).
The Great Oasis was a succession of watered areas, about 100 miles long and mostly
about 15 miles wide, in the desert 100 miles to the west of the Nile, which for administrative
purposes was attached to the Thebaid; Olympiodorus, fr. 32, provides a description, espe¬
cially of the wells. Cf. Socrates ii.28.11 for the Great Oasis in upper Egypt as a place of
banishment; Zonaras xiii.22.43 locates the Oasis in Arabia, probably through conflation
with Petra, and calls it a vile place at the mercy of pestilential winds. There were various
monasteries at the Oasis, and Nestorius was presumably kept at one of them.
59 A reference to the Bazaar of Heracleides, of which much survives; parts of it are cast
in the form of a dialogue with a critic named Sophronius. Festugiere translated Evagrius’
description of the book (StakEKitKin^) as ‘a work using logical arguments’, but dialectical
rigour is not characteristic of Nestorius’ arguments, which, rather, tend to ramble around
the point; BEL translated as ‘a formal discourse’, though also noting (264 n. 1) that Valesius
was perhaps correct to render 'in the manner of a dialogue’.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
21
the controller of the land of the Thebans. 60 For in these it is possible to
discover how, since he had not received the requisite punishment, the
judgement of God awaited him and encompassed him in captivity, the
most piteous misfortune of all. 61 But since he required greater penalties,
although he was released by the Blemmyes, among whom indeed he had
become a prisoner, 62 after Theodosius had by edicts decided on his
return, 63 while moving from one place to another on the borders of the
|14] land of the Thebans, he laid aside the life here in a way worthy of
his own life, after being dashed upon the ground: a second Arius who
through his overthrow both depicted and ordained what sort of rewards
are fixed for blasphemy against Christ. 64 For both blasphemed in
similar fashion against Flim, the one calling Him a created being, the
other regarding Him as human. When he makes the criticism that the
records at Ephesus were not properly compiled, but were wickedly
contrived by Cyril with an illegal innovation, I would most gladly say,
why ever then was he banished - and that by Theodosius who was sympa¬
thetic to him - and after receiving no consideration at all was he
condemned to so many banishments, and why did he terminate his life
60 The Thebaid, the administrative district of upper Egypt, was controlled from Hermo-
polis, about 200 miles to the north-east of the Oasis.
61 Nestorius himself builds up the tragedy of his fate in his letter to the governor quoted
below (p. 15:10-13).
62 The Blemmyes lived in the region to the east of the Nile, beyond the southern bound¬
ary of Egypt at Philae. Though in receipt of imperial subsidies, they often ravaged across the
frontier, in company with the neighbouring Nobades, who were supposed to defend the
frontier against them (Procopius, Wars i.19.28 33). Evidence for the region is usefully col¬
lected in Font. Hist. Nubiarum III; see especially 301 (Life of Shenute of Atripe), 314 (peti¬
tion of Bishop Appion), 320 (letter of tribune Viventius). The raid which netted Nestorius
will have been similar to the one whose conclusion is recorded in Priscus, fr.27 (c. 453), when
prisoners and cattle were returned and some compensation paid. Nestorian sources record
that Nestorius secured the release of all his fellow captives through the miraculous discov¬
ery of a source of water which saved the parched raiders in the desert (Barhadbeshabba, ch.
30, pp. 584-5; Letter to Cosmos 13); the Monophysite Shenute miraculously paralysed the
hands of Blemmyan soldiers until their king released a recent haul of captives (FHN 301).
63 Presumably to the Oasis (from the Oasis according to Festugiere 210 n. 23), though a
lack of clarity in the emperor’s instructions might explain the confusing sequence of moves
which were then inflicted on Nestorius.
64 Zachariah (iii.l, p. 42) also makes the comparison with Arius, who had expired in the
latrines behind the Forum of Constantine in Constantinople during an attack of diarrhoea,
a fate which his doctrinal opponents readily exploited: e.g. Socrates i.38.7-9; Sozomen
ii.29-30 (quoting the reaction of Athanasius). Cf. p. 16:23-6 with n. 77 below for a more
graphic version of Nestorius’ end, and unpleasant death as proof of wickedness.
22
EVAGRIUS
here in this way? 65 Or, if the judgement made through Cyril and the
priests of his party was not divine, since both of them are numbered
among the deceased when, as has been said by one of the pagan wise
men, ‘What is departed is honoured with an unassailable reputation’, 66
why ever is the one condemned as blasphemous and an enemy of God,
while the other is hymned and proclaimed as a loud-voiced herald and
great champion of the correct doctrines? Accordingly, lest we incur an
accusation of falsehood, come, let us bring forward Nestorius himself to
the centre to provide instruction about these matters. And read for me
some parts of the letter, in its very own terms, which was composed by
you for the controller of the land of the Thebans: 67
On account of the recent occurrences at Ephesus concerning the
most holy religion, we inhabit Oasis, which is also Ibis, 68 because
of an imperial decree.
And after some intervening expressions, he continues:
After the aforesaid place was utterly emptied through barbarian
captivity and fire and slaughter, we have been released by the bar¬
barians who suddenly took pity on us, I know not how, at the
same time as they terrified us with threatening asseverations to
flee the region in haste because after them the Mazici were about
to take it over without delay. 69 So we have come to the land of
the Thebans |15| with the remnants of the captives whom the
barbarians in pity brought to us, with what intention I cannot
say. Now, whereas these have been released to whatever place of
65 Cf. Evagrius i.9, p. 17:13-17, for an incorrect accusation of falsification of records. At
Chalcedon the accusation that the scribes of Dioscorus had inaccurately recorded the
proceedings of Second Ephesus was upheld (Evagrius ii.18, p. 70:5-19); Memnon or Cyril
could have arranged the same at First Ephesus in view of (heir complete domination of
proceedings. But, in the Bazaar , Nestorius’ repeated complaint is that his teachings have
only been partially represented and his opponents’ contrary arguments inadequately scru¬
tinized, with Cyril in particular being criticized for duplicity.
66 Thucydides ii.45.
67 As Allen appositely noted (Evagrius 80), the ecclesiastical lawyer Evagrius here ex¬
ploits the terminology of a trial to convict Nestorius. The governor of the Thebaid’s name
was Andrew, according to Rufus, Pleropliories 36, p. 84 (PLRE IE 87, s. v. Andreas 2).
Loofs, reasonably, accepted much of the following material as direct quotation from Nes¬
torius (Nestoriana 99-100,198-201).
68 Ibis was the old metropolis of the Great Oasis: Jones, Cities 345.
69 Pratum Spiritual 112 refers to an undated raid by the Mazici on the monasteries at
the Oasis.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
23
habitation each desired, we made ourselves visible on halting at
Panopolis: 70 for we were afraid that someone might make our
captivity into a lawsuit, 71 by constructing against us either a
false accusation of flight or a device of some other accusation,
since wickedness is well provided with false accusations of all
sorts. 72 Wherefore indeed we request your greatness to consider
our captivity in accordance with what is approved by the laws,
and not to consign to the evil designs of men a captive who has
been delivered into wickedness, lest for all subsequent generations
there should be the tragic story that it is better to be a captive of
barbarians than a fugitive from the Roman Empire.
And, adding oaths, he asked as follows:
To report that our transfer from Oasis to here occurred through
release by barbarians, so that the disposition concerning us that
seems right to God may even now be effected.
From a second letter of his to the same man:
Whether you reckon this present letter as a friendly one from us to
your magnificence, or as a reminder from a father to a son, be
patient, I entreat, with the description in it which, though con¬
cerning many matters, has been written succinctly by us as far as
is possible. Since the Oasis of Ibis has recently been devastated
by multitudes when the horde of Nobades overran it....
And further on:
After these events had occurred thus, I know not on what impulse
or what your magnificence obtained as pretext, we were conveyed
70 Panopolis was a nome capital, i.e. the centre of one of the subordinate administrative
regions; it was one of the closest cities on the Nile to the Great Oasis, about 100 miles distant,
and 100 miles upstream from the governor at Hermopolis. Cf. Rufus, Plerophories 36, p. 82,
for Nestorius' transfer to Panopolis (‘the appropriately named City of Pan’ - ‘appropriately’
because Pan was compounded from two natures) after being ransomed from the Mazici.
71 This could be translated more weakly as ‘make trouble out of.
72 The accusation would have been that Nestorius was attempting to abscond from his
place of exile; granted the hostility of most Egyptian monks (e.g. Shenute whose monastery
was sufficiently close for the two enemies to have met: Grillmeier, Christ II.4 177-8) and
clergy towards the enemy of the great Cyril, his fears were probably not without substance.
Barhadbeshabba, ch. 30, p. 585, notes that there was a Roman law permitting an exile, who
was captured by enemies but escaped, to go wherever he wanted, but that Nestorius chose
not to do so.
24
EVAGRIUS
from Panopolis by barbarian soldiers to a certain Elephantine,
which is on the border of the Thebans’ eparchy, being dragged
towards it by the aforesaid military unit. 73 And, after being
crushed by the greater part of the journey, we again encountered
an unwritten instruction from your valour to return to Panopolis.
Soundly thrashed by |16] the adversities of travelling in a sick
and aged body, and crushed in both hand and side we arrived
back at Panopolis, at the last gasp, in a manner of speaking, and
still lacerated in our adversities by the troubles of pains. But
again another written command from your valour winged its
way and moved us from Panopolis to its dependent territory. 74
While reckoning that these measures against us would come to a
stop, and awaiting the decision concerning us of the gloriously
victorious emperors, suddenly yet another command was merci¬
lessly constructed for another exile for us, a fourth one.
And a little later:
But be satisfied with what has been done, I beseech, and by the
decreeing of so many banishments against a single body; 75 and
in moderation desist, I beseech, from the investigation into what
was reported by your magnificence and by us, through whom it
was right that it be made known to our gloriously victorious
emperors. 76 These exhortations from us are as from a father to a
son. But should you be vexed even now as before, do what you
73 Elephantine, located on the southern boundary of the province of Egypt, was about
200 miles from Panopolis; a military unit was stationed there, so that it would have been a
safer place of custody for Nestorius than the isolated Oasis.
74 This presumably means that Nestorius was prohibited from entering the nome
capital, but was allocated a specific place of residence in its rural territory.
75 Although Nestorius regarded these successive moves as deliberate official harrass-
ment (cf. the stories in Barhadbeshabba ch. 30, pp. 579-81), which would not have been
surprising in the light of the Egyptian Church’s attitude towards him, a plausible explana¬
tion is that the local governor was in a quandary about how to treat his important captive:
the captivity should not be comfortable, but it would be an even greater embarrassment if
the captive were to disappear; it was perhaps also necessary to protect Nestorius from his
Egyptian enemies. According to Rufus, Plerophories 36, p. 84, Nestorius was in the fort at
Panopolis when the news of his recall by Marcian arrived in 451.
76 The construction of this sentence is complicated, and is interpreted differently by BEL
and Festugiere. Nestorius had presumably sent a report on his capture by the Blemmyes to
Theodosius, perhaps with some comments on the governor’s defence of the province and his
own subsequent treatment, and inferred that the brutal marching and countermarching was
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
25
have decided, if indeed no word is more powerful than your
decision.
And thus this man even in his writings strikes with his fist and tram¬
ples underfoot, reviling both the Empire and the officers - he who had
not learnt prudence even from his sufferings. But I have also heard
someone who had narrated the final fall of that man, saying that he
departed to the greater and immortal judgements against him after his
tongue had been eaten away by worms. 77
8 And so after the demon Nestorius himself Maximianus was entrusted
with the bishopric of the city of the celebrated Constantine; under him
the Church of Christ obtained complete peace. 78 When he in turn
departed from among men Proclus, who had formerly been appointed
a consequence of his complaint; he now had to plead that the whole matter should be
dropped.
77 Zachariah (iii.l, p. 42) records that Nestorius, together with his companion Dor-
otheus, was recalled from Oasis by Marcian but that, after setting out, he blasphemed
against the Theotokos and fell olf his mule; his tongue was cut off, his mouth eaten by
worms, and he died on the roadway. Variants on this story are recorded in Rufus (Pleroph-
ories 33, p. 76; 36, pp. 84-5), of which the former is attributed to the (lost) Ecclesiastical
History of the exiled Patriarch Timothy of Alexandria (cf. ibid. 70 for a putrefied tongue as
symbol of two-nature Christology, and ps.-Zach. ix.19, p. 268, for Pope Agapetus miracu¬
lously perishing with a putrefied tongue). Theophanes refers to the putrefaction of Nestor¬
ius’ limbs, and especially his tongue, while he was being moved from Oasis to another
location (92.3-5; cf. Theodore Lector 153:1-2). Evagrius had described Nestorius as ‘the
tongue that fought God’, so the appropriate part of the body was being punished.
The classic parallel for an opponent of Christians being consumed by worms is the death
of the persecutor Galerius: Eusebius, EH viii. 16.4-17.1; more generally see Lactantius, On
the Deaths of the Persecutors for this attitude, and cf. Evagrius iii.41, and n. 64 above. Ac¬
cording to Rufus, Plerophories 33, p. 76, Nestorius’ impiety was proved when the earth
refused to receive his corpse for burial. By contrast, Nestorians recorded the miracles per¬
formed by their leader during life and at his tomb: Barhadbeshabba ch. 30, pp. 584-5; Letter
to Cosmos 13-14.
78 Evagrius now jumps back two decades to the ordination of Nestorius’ successor on 25
October 431. As in 425 and 427 there was rivalry between Philip of Side and Proclus of
Cyzicus, but this was sidestepped by the selection of a respected Constantinopolitan
ascetic, Maximianus (Patriarch 431—4); he is described by Socrates as lacking eloquence
and not being bothered about mundane affairs, but he did restore order and tranquillity to
the Church (vii.35, 37.19).
26
EVAGRIUS
bishop of Cyzicus, took in hand the rudders of the see. 79 And when this
man too |17| traversed the commonjourney of mortals, Flavian inherited
the throne. 80
9 Under him there occurred the commotion concerning the impious
Eutyches, after a partial Synod had been gathered at Constantinople
and Eusebius, who directed the bishopric of Dorylaeum, again presented
accusations; 81 even while still a rhetor, he had been the first to expose the
blasphemy of Nestorius. 82 Now Eutyches, on being summoned, did not
79 Maximianus died on 12 April 434, on the Thursday before Easter. Theodosius had
already secured the agreement of the patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch, Thessalonica and
Rome to the translation of a bishop from one see to another (a practice criticized at Nicaea),
and he instructed those bishops present in Constantinople to appoint Proclus at once (So¬
crates vii.40; Rist, ‘Episcopus’; Holum, Empresses 182-3). Proclus, ordained bishop of
Cyzicus in 426, had never taken up his post because the local inhabitants had already
chosen their own candidate (Socrates vii.28); he remained in Constantinople, a prominent
figure in the opposition to Nestorius, and delivered a famous sermon on the Theotokos
shortly before Christmas 428 (ACO I.i.l, no. 19; Holum, Empresses 155-7). Socrates
praises his learning, as well as his mildness in declining to persecute those whose views dif¬
fered from his own (vii.41-2).
80 Proclus died in 447, and was succeeded by the like-minded Flavian (447-9); Nestorius
describes Flavian as an upright man, but lacking the ability to expound his views in public
(Bazaar 336).
81 Even before his ordination Flavian had fallen out with Chrysaphius (Evagrius ii.2),
the eunuch chamberlain who dominated the imperial court during the last years of Theodo¬
sius II ( PLRE II. 295-7); Chrysaphius was godson of Eutyches, the acknowledged leader
of the Constantinopolitan monasteries after the death of Dalmatius, whose fierce anti-
Nestorian views he shared to the extent of being accused of Apollinarianism (the heresy
that denied the full humanity of Christ, since adherents asserted that Christ lacked a
human soul). Nestorian ideas were still being championed by Theodoret of Cyrrhus, but
on 16 February 448 Theodosius issued an Edict that repeated the earlier anti-Nestorian
measures and deposed Irenaeus, who had been relegated to Petra in 435 but had returned
without authorization and become bishop of Tyre (ACO I.i.4, no. 138; = Cod. lust. 1.1.3);
throughout the forthcoming dispute Theodosius and Chrysaphius were to support Eu¬
tyches against Flavian.
On 8 November 448 Flavian had summoned a local Synod to consider a dispute at Sardis,
but this occasion was exploited by Eusebius of Dorylaeum (see next note) to challenge the
doctrinal teachings of Eutyches: ACO Il.i.l, nos. 223-5; cf. Bazaar 336-40; Theophanes
99:28-100:2.
82 PLRE II. 430-1, x.v. Eusebius 15; Theophanes describes him as ascholasticus (barris¬
ter) in the Basilica at Constantinople. He had interrupted one of Nestorius’ sermons to
defend Mary’s status as Theotokos (ACO I.i.6, pp. 25:40-26:4), and had compiled a list of
comparisons between Nestorius’ views and those of Paul of Samosata (ACO I.i.l, no. 18).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
27
come, and when he did arrive he was caught as follows, 83 for he had said:
‘I confess that before the union our Lord originated out of two natures,
but after the union I confess one nature.’ 84 He said that not even the
body of the Lord was consubstantial with us. 85 He was deposed, 86 but
when his petitions came to Theodosius, on the grounds that the records
compiled had been fabricated by Flavian, first there was assembled at
Constantinople a Synod of local people, and Flavian was judged by it
and by some of the officials. And when the records had been corroborated
as true, 87 the second Synod at Ephesus was convened. 88
10 Dioscorus, the bishop of Alexandria after Cyril, was appointed as
head of this Synod since Chrysaphius, who at that time was master of
the palace, contrived this out of hostility against Flavian. 89 There
83 The investigation of Eutyches opened on 12 November (ACO Il.i.l, no. 238), but Eu-
tyches found various reasons to be absent from sessions on 15, 16 and 17 November before
receiving an ultimatum to appear on 22 November (ACO Il.i.l, no. 444); he attended this
meeting, accompanied by numerous soldiers, officials and monastic supporters, and pro¬
ceedings were supervised by the ex-prefect Florentius to attempt to secure the emperor’s
will (ACO Il.i.l, nos. 463^4, 468). The records of the debate are preserved as part of the
acta of Chalcedon, along with various interjections by the discordant parties at Chalcedon
(ACO Il.i.l, pp. 138^-7). Detailed discussion in Schwartz, Process.
84 ACO Il.i.l. no. 527.
85 ACO Il.i.l, nos. 511-22, esp. 516.
86 ACO Il.i.l. no. 551.
87 Theodosius’ support for Eutyches and hostility towards Flavian had been made clear
in an encounter in S. Sophia in the week before Easter (27 March 449), when the emperor
withdrew from communion with the patriarch (Bazaar 341-2). The summons of a Council
under the presidency of Dioscorus of Alexandria was further proof of his attitude, and then
in April imperial officials convened three meetings against Flavian: on 8 April Eutyches
attempted to prove that there had been irregularities in his condemnation (ACO Il.i.l, nos.
556-8), on 13 April the records of the meeting of 22 November were thoroughly verified
(ACO Il.i.l, nos. 555, 560-828), while on 27 April Eutyches failed to demonstrate that the
sentence against him had been composed in advance of the 22 November meeting (ACO
Il.i.l, nos. 829-49; and cf. Bazaar 343^4). Eutyches had also appealed to Pope Leo and
other patriarchs, but Flavian eventually secured the pope’s support (ACO Il.ii.l, nos. 3-6).
88 ACO Il.i.l, no. 24; the imperial order was dispatched on 30 March 449 (p. 69:7-8),
convening the Council for 1 August (p. 68:28).
89 Cyril had died in 444; it is notable that Evagrius did not record the accession of the
turbulent Dioscorus at the appropriate chronological place (e.g. ch. 8 where the record of
the succession at Constantinople could have been broadened to include other major sees).
Ratification of Dioscorus’ presidency, though with prominence accorded to Juvenal of Jer¬
usalem and Thalassius of Caesarea: ACO Il.i.l, p. 74:16-24. For Chrysaphius, cf. n. 81
above. Another indication of Theodosius’ attitude was that the Syrian monk Barsauma, a
fierce opponent of Nestorius, was permitted to attend (ACO Il.i.l, nos. 47-8).
28
EVAGRIUS
assembled at Ephesus Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, who had been
previously at Ephesus, together with many of his associate priests. 90
Together with these there was also Domnus, who presided over Antioch
after John, 91 and indeed also Bishop Julius, who took the place of Leo,
Bishop of the elder Rome. 92 And Flavian also was present with them,
together with his associate bishops, since Theodosius had decreed to
Elpidius in these words: 93
While those who earlier passed judgement on the most devout ar¬
chimandrite Eutyches, are present and remain quiet, though do
not possess the status of judges, but await the common |18] vote
of all the most holy Fathers, since what was decided by them is
now being assessed... 94
At this Council Eutyches was recalled from deposition by Dioscorus
and his party, as indeed is included in the Acts. 95 But Flavian and Euse¬
bius, who presided over Dorylaeum, were condemned to be deposed; 96
90 For Juvenal’s long career, see Honigmann, ‘Juvenal’.
91 John had died in 441, to be succeeded by his nephew Domnus, of whose talents the
Palestinian monk Euthymius had a low opinion and whose deposition he predicted (Life
of Euthymius 20. p. 33:10-28); as with Dioscorus (n. 89 above), Evagrius’ silence probably
indicates disapproval. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, who was still the leading Antiochene theolo¬
gian, was specifically prohibited from attending ( ACO Il.i.l, p. 69:1-4).
92 Julius of Puteoli was deputy for Leo, Pope 441-61.
93 Elpidius, comes sacri consistorii (PLRE II. 536, s. v. Helpidius 5), was jointly in charge
of the Council with the tribune and praetorian notary Eulogius. This letter was incorpo¬
rated in the acta of Chalcedon: ACO Il.i.l. no. 49. Proclus, the proconsul of Asia, was in¬
structed to assist in efforts to maintain order (ACO Il.i.l, no. 50).
94 ACO Il.i.l, no. 49, p. 72:21^1, the only divergence being the superlative ‘most holy’;
cf. Bazaar 352-3.
95 The Council met on 8 August 449, and Elpidius as presiding officer admitted Eutyches
(A CO Il.i.l, nos. 68,151); Eutyches provided a statement of faith CO Il.i.l. nos. 157,185),
which was then accepted (ACO Il.i.l, nos. 197-222). See also Bazaar 351-5.
96 Having secured the reinstatement of Eutyches, Dioscorus at once directed the Coun¬
cil’s attention towards his enemies, prefacing his attack by asking the bishops to agree that
anyone who taught differently from the Council of Nicaea was not orthodox. Since the doc¬
trine of the two natures after the union, which Flavian and Eusebius propounded, had not
yet been devised at the time of Nicaea, they could now be declared heretical in spite of pro¬
tests by themselves and the representative of Pope Leo; they were deposed on 8 August
(ACO Il.i.l, nos. 962-1067). Dioscorus secured the election at Constantinople of his apoc-
risarius Anatolius (Theodore Lector 351); Evagrius does not record his appointment,
perhaps because of embarrassment that the senior bishop at the Council of Chalcedon,
who was responsible for the composition of the Chalcedonian creed, had secured his posi¬
tion in such circumstances.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
29
at the same Synod Ibas, the bishop of the Edessenes, was also publicly
condemned, while Daniel, Bishop of Carrhae, was also deposed, as too
Irenaeus of Tyre and furthermore Aquilinus of Byblus. 97 Certain
actions were also taken in respect of Sophronius, who was bishop of
Constantina. 98 Theodoret, the bishop of Cyrrhus, was also deposed by
them, and indeed Domnus, the bishop of Antioch. With regard to him it
was not possible to discover what happened thereafter. 99 And in this
way the Second Council at Ephesus was dissolved. 100
11 Let not any of the idol-maniacs mock me because subsequent Coun¬
cils overturn their predecessors and always find some additional innova¬
tion for the faith. 101 For we, while searching for the ineffable and
97 These further depositions of prominent Easterners occurred on 22 August, after the
representatives of Pope Leo had withdrawn from the Council (Flemming, Akten pp. 7-151).
Most had links with Theodoret of Cyrrhus, and so could be accused of Nestorian sympa¬
thies: Ibas had already been investigated by a Council at Tyre, and then condemned by the
governor of Osrhoene; Daniel was a nephew of Ibas; Irenaeus, a prominent lay supporter of
Nestorius at Ephesus in 431, was subsequently consecrated as bishop by Theodoret but
exiled for his views in 435 (see nn. 33, 58, 81 above); Aquilinus was another of Theodoret’s
appointees.
98 Sophronius was accused of sorcery and his case remitted to the new bishop of Edessa.
99 Domnus, who does not appear to have been a doctrinal expert but depended on Theo¬
doret, was outmanoeuvred by Dioscorus, being first persuaded to agree to the deposition of
Flavian and Eusebius, but then finding himself isolated (Bazaar 348); in contrast to the
other deposed bishops he was not reinstated at Chalcedon. The Life of Euthymius ch. 20,
p. 33:28 records that he returned to Palestine to ask forgiveness of the aged Euthymius,
whose advice not to abandon the desert he had ignored.
100 The Second Council of Ephesus, known by opponents as the Latrocinium or Robber
Council, acquired notoriety for the violence with which Dioscorus and his Egyptian suppor¬
ters and the Syrian monk Barsauma secured the ratification of their views (ACO Il.i.l, nos.
851-62; Bazaar 352-4); although the violence may have been exaggerated when many of the
bishops reassembled at Chalcedon in 451 and had to explain why they had subscribed to
decisions that were now contrary to imperial policy, this reputation was enshrined in the
acta of Chalcedon. Evagrius, however, has chosen to ignore these unruly aspects of the
Council, and in the next chapter even provides a defence of divergent doctrinal positions
produced by Councils. He also does not identify here the two key misdemeanours of Dios¬
corus, at least as stated at Chalcedon (see ii.4, with n. 48 below): that he had received Eu-
tyches into communion before the latter’s condemnation had been lifted, and that he had
prevented the letter of Pope Leo from being read out.
101 Festugiere (215) translated the last clause as dependent on idol-maniacs ('who are
always ready to dream up some new argument against our faith’), but it is easier to take
this as a second reason for the mockery of the idolaters (as BEL 269 does).
Innovation was a standard charge against doctrinal opponents, exploited, for example.
30
EVAGRIUS
inscrutable benevolence of God, and wishing to revere it especially and
elevate it, are turned this way and that. And no one of those who have
devised heresies among the Christians originally wanted to blaspheme,
or stumbled through wishing to dishonour the divinity, but rather by
supposing to speak better than their predecessor if he were to advocate
this. 102 And the essential and vital points are commonly agreed by all:
for what we worship is a trinity and what we glorify a unity, and God
the Word, though born before the ages, was incarnated in a second birth
out of pity for creation. 103 But if certain innovations have been made
by Dioscorus at Second Ephesus (n. 96 above) and by both sides in the Arian dispute
(Sozomen iv.17.4, 26.5; vi.25.13; Theodoret, £7/ii.31), and was also a powerful accusation
in disciplinary matters (e.g. Sozomen vi.26.2; Theodoret, EH i. 19.3). Inconsistency was an
obvious charge against the majority of bishops at Second Ephesus who proceeded to reverse
their decisions at Chalcedon only a couple of years later, and this was used against them by
Monophysites (e.g. Rufus, Pleropliories 59, pp. 115-16). Thus Evagrius’ refutation of
alleged pagan arguments turns into an indirect defence of Chalcedon (Allen, Evagrius 83),
a subtle exploitation of the traditional theme of anti-pagan polemic in ecclesiastical history:
the change of mind at Chalcedon is justified in advance, without the need to cite specific
Monophysite critics, who are, though, tacitly equated with pagans. We have no evidence
for the views about Church Councils of pagan intellectuals in the late fifth century, though
refutation of pagan attacks and criticism had still been important for Sozomen in the 440s
(Downey, ‘Perspectives’ 65-6). Evagrius’ failure to name his adversary (contrast iii.40-1 for
Zosimus) supports the hypothesis that pagans were not his main, or only target here. Allen,
loc. cit. (and cf. ‘Hellenism’ 379), dismisses the chapter as a historiographical topos, but,
quite apart from the possible Monophysite angle, there was a major pagan scandal at
Antioch in the 580s, so that Evagrius’ audience would have seen some contemporary rele¬
vance to the polemic (cf. Downey, ‘Perspective’ 68-9).
102 This sympathetic attitude towards heresy is not entirely compatible with Evagrius’
description of the origins of Nestorian doctrine (i. 1-2), but is consistent with Nestorius’ own
apology (i.7; cf. the judgement of Socrates vii.32) and with Evagrius’ tolerance of the Mono¬
physite position. Gregory of Nazianzus (Oration 27.10) had claimed that speculation on a
number of unresolved questions, including Christ’s sufferings, the resurrection, retribution
and judgement, was not harmful, but the increasing precision of doctrinal definition in the
fifth century had made this flexibility less acceptable: see the Life of Cyriacus 12, pp. 229:24-
230:10, for fierce rejection of Gregory’s position.
103 Cf. ii.5 (pp. 52:27-53:20) for emphasis on the essential community of doctrine
between Chalcedonians and Monophysites. Socrates urged that Christians differed far less
from each other than they did from pagans (iv.32.3), and had organized his narrative to
point to the problems caused by disputations: Lim, Disputation 199-205. Themistius had
developed an analogous argument when addressing Jovian on the theme of religious tolera¬
tion: devout adherents of different faiths had the same objective even if their approach dif¬
fered (5.68c d).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
31
concerning some other things, these too have come about by our saviour
God’s concession to free will even in these matters, so that the holy
universal and apostolic |19| Church might rather, from one side and
from the other, make what has been said captive to propriety and piety,
and come to one smoothed and straight path. For this reason, indeed, it
was said by the apostle, with exceeding great clarity: ‘It is necessary that
there also be heresies among us, in order that the reputable people be
made manifest.’ 104 And in this too one may admire the unutterable
wisdom of God, who also said to the venerable Paul: ‘For my power is
made perfect in weakness.’ 105 For from the things which have rent
asunder the limbs of the Church, from these the correct and blameless
doctrines have been further refined and preserved, and the universal and
apostolic Church of God has achieved magnification and the ascent to
the heavens. 106
But the nurslings of pagan error, not wishing to find God or his care
for men, destroyed both the beliefs of their predecessors and of each
other, 107 on the contrary devising one God after another and both electing
and naming gods of their own passions so that, by endorsing such gods,
they might be provided with a pardon for their own licentious acts. 108
And so, for instance, the supreme father of both men and gods among
them, after being transformed into a bird, wantonly carried away the
Phrygian lad and provided for him the drinking cup as payment for his
shameful behaviour, allowing him to drink the loving cup first so that
jointly with the nectar they might drink the rebukes as well. 109 He, the
104 1 Corinthians 11.19.
105 2 Corinthians 12.9.
106 The Church is made stronger through the removal of heretical elements.
107 A direct response to the charge of innovation levelled by pagans against Christians.
The thesis of a gradual refinement of doctrine justifies Chalcedon as well as subsequent at¬
tempts to reconcile Chalcedonians and Monophysites: orthodoxy would be defined with
increasing clarity by the gradual identification and rejection of erroneous positions which
had not been explicitly covered by the definitions of previous Councils.
108 Cf. Socrates iii.23.47—60 for the criticism that pagans added to their gods men of very
dubious morals. The following list of unsuitable pagan gods draws on the extensive Chris¬
tian polemical literature, e.g. Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica i-ii; Evagrius’ topics are
quite close to the selection in Gregory of Nazianzus, Or. 39.4; cf. also Or. 4.77, 115-16,
121-2; 5.31-2.1 am grateful to Dr Jenny Nimmo-Smith for these references.
109 The myth of Zeus and Ganymede: the Trojan Ganymede, the most beautiful of all
mortals, was carried off to heaven by Zeus in the guise of an eagle and became cup-bearer to
the gods as well as the eponymous catamite.
32
EVAGRIUS
most irrational of all, was, in addition to countless other absurdities which
are repudiated even by worthless men, transformed into every form of
irrational thing and became androgynous, bearing a child if not in the
womb at any rate in the thigh, so that even this might be accomplished in
him contrary to nature. The twice-born product of this, being androgy¬
nous, outraged both natures - inventor of strong drink, and indeed drun¬
kenness, and moreover of the hangover and stale dregs and |20| the
consequent evils. 110 To this high-thundering Aegis-wearer they also attri¬
bute that august act called parricide - the extreme penalty among all
men - in that he expelled from his kingdom Cronos, who had unfortu¬
nately engendered him. 111 What might I say, too, about the prostitution
which has been deified by them, over which they have placed Aphrodite,
the Cyprian born from a sea-shell, who loathes modesty as a polluted
substance and is one of the outlandish things in other respects, 112 but
delights in prostitution and all acts of indecency and is willing to be propi¬
tiated by these? It was with her that Ares disgraced himself, who through
the devices of Hephaestus was exposed to shame and mocked by the
gods. 113 One might justly ridicule their phalli and ithyphalli and phallic
110 The myth of the birth of Dionysus. His mother Semele, tricked by Zeus’jealous wife
Hera, asked Zeus to appear to her in his full power and was promptly consumed by his light¬
ning after giving birth prematurely to Dionysus; Zeus sewed the infant into his thigh until
Dionysus was ready for his second birth. Dionysus, god of wine, was often portrayed as a
somewhat effeminate young man; he was worshipped under a wide variety of forms includ¬
ing that of Dionysus Androgynes, to whom there was a hermaphrodite cult statue at Emesa
(Theodoret, EH iii.7.5); he was typically accompanied by groups of revellers of both sexes.
The wilder tales about the Olympian Gods had been rejected by some pagans since the sixth
century BC, when Xenophanes criticized stories about their behaviour.
‘Stale dregs and the consequent evils’ alludes to the practice at drunken parties of dousing
the more inebriated participants with the collected heel-taps; when a party reached this
stage, brawling or other acts of violence would probably follow. For Dionysius as patron
of the organized symposium, see E. Pellizer, ‘Outlines of a Morphology of Sympotic Enter¬
tainment’, in O. Murray (ed.) Sympotica, A Symposium on the Symposion (Oxford, 1990)
177-84; for an example of drunken excess, Aristophanes, Wasps 1122-264.
111 Zeus, the Aegis-wearer (a goat skin, or skin-covered shield), was son of Cronos and
Rhea; Cronos knew that he was fated to be supplanted by one of his children and so swal¬
lowed them all at birth, until Rhea tricked him and substituted a stone for Zeus, who grew
up to overthrew Cronos and confine him and other Titans to Tartarus.
112 Or ‘utterly outlandish’, reading oktaq for aXXaq, as suggested by Bidez-Parmentier
in their apparatus and accepted by Festugiere.
113 One version of the birth of Aphrodite, goddess of love, had her emerge from the
foam of the sea and come to land at Paphos on Cyprus. Ritual prostitution was practised
in some of her temples in the Near East, for example that at Aphaca on Mount Lebanon,
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
33
processions and outsized Priapus and Pan, who is worshipped for his
shameful member, and the mysteries at Eleusis, which are laudable for
one thing alone, namely that the sun did not see them but they were
condemned to dwell with the darkness. 114 Abandoning these to those
who worship and are worshipped in shame, let us spur on our horse
towards the goal and set out the remaining events of the reign of Theodo¬
sius in an easily intelligible way. 115
12 Now a most pious constitution was written by him which is located in
the first book of what is called the Codex of Justinian, and which is the
third in number of the first title. In this under God’s impulse he
condemned nem. con. (as the saying goes) 116 and encompassed in
anathema the man who was formerly favoured by him, as is written by
Nestorius himself, 117 and he wrote as follows, word for word:
‘We further decree that those who esteem the impious faith of Nestorius
or follow his unlawful teaching, if they be bishops or clerics be ejected
from the holy churches, but if laity anathematized.’ 118
Other legislation also was established by him in connection with our reli¬
gion, to demonstrate his ardent zeal. 119
which was closed by Constantine. The story of how Aphrodite’s husband Hephaestus, the
divine smith, created a net to entrap his wife in (he act of adultery with the war god Ares is
told in Homer, Odyssey viii.266 366.
114 The reference is to a variety of fertility celebrations associated with Dionysus,
Hermes, Pan, Demeter or Priapus; the Eleusinian mysteries were celebrated annually in
western Attica in honour of Demeter and her daughter Kore/Persephone.
115 A typical closure to a digression, cf. ii.l (p. 38:7-8), iv.29 (p. 179:14-16); Theophylact
viii.l 1.12.
116 Cf. iv.38, p. 188:3^4, for the affected circumlocution.
117 Cf. nn. 41-2 above.
118 The Edict of 17 February 448: ACO I.i.4, no. 138, p. 66:12-14; = Cod. lust. 1.1.3;
Evagrius has omitted (dctte 'so that’ after ‘decree’.
119 Before the ordination of Nestorius in 428, Theodosius had issued various laws
against heretics (Cod. Theod. xvi.5.48-9, 57-61; xvi.6.6-7); Nestorius, however, seems to
have increased the intensity of pressure against non-Christians (Socrates vii.29, 31), and
on 30 May 435 Theodosius issued a comprehensive law against heretics which divided
them into four categories of ascending gravity ( Cod. Theod. xvi.5.65).
Sozomen ix.l, 5, and Socrates vii.22-23, praised Theodosius’ piety and pointed to the
rewards it brought (cf. Soz. ix.l 1,16 for Honorius), but neither described in detail Theodo¬
sius’ involvement in the Councils at Ephesus. In reality Theodosius’ reputation for ortho¬
doxy was shaky: in 431 he strongly supported Nestorius, and in 449 it was Theodosius’
orders which determined the nature of proceedings at Second Ephesus. Evagrius avoids
34
EVAGRIUS
13 In these times too there flourished and was prominent [21] Symeon,
the man of holy and universally celebrated memory, the first man to prac¬
tise the station on a column, an abode that was scarcely two cubits in
circumference, during the time that Domnus was the Antiochene
bishop. 120 When this man came to him, he was astounded by the stance
and lifestyle and yearned for what was more mystical. And so the two
came together and after consecrating the unbroken body they gave a
share of the life-giving communion to each other. 121 This man, who
while in the flesh imitated the existence of the heavenly powers,
removed himself from the affairs of the earth; and by constraining the
nature which for the time being weighed him down, he pursued higher
things. And being betwixt heaven and those on earth he conversed with
God and together with the angels gave glory, from earth presenting to
God requests on behalf of humans, while from heaven achieving for
humans the beneficence from on high. 122 One of those indeed who were
these complications by reverting to the antecedents of Second Ephesus and focusing on
Theodosius’ condemnation of Nestorius. By contrast, Nestorius criticized the impiety of
(he emperor and recorded the problems that it brought to the empire (Bazaar 362-9),
while the staunchly Chalcedonian writers Theodore Lector and Liberatus criticized him re¬
spectively for his malleability (Theodore 346, 350) and his poor response to representations
from Pope Leo (Lib. 12).
120 Symeon the Elder lived c. 390^159. As a youth his extreme asceticism had caused
trouble in the monasteries to which he was attached, with the result that he eventually estab¬
lished himself on an isolated mountain. His growing fame brought crowds of pilgrims, and it
was to escape these that he mounted a column which was progressively raised in height.
Domnus, Bishop of Antioch 441-9.
121 The Syriac Life of Symeon 54 (Doran) records that Domnus gave the sacramental
host to Symeon; Evagrius’ version, that Symeon also reciprocated, presupposes that
Symeon had been ordained a priest, for which there is no confirmation (though the Life of
Symeon Stylites the Younger, 132-5, narrates at great length how he received his ordina¬
tion; granted the importance of the elder Symeon in defining the construction of the young-
er’s career, this might indicate that there were also stories about the elder Stylite’s
ordination). In the Life of Daniel, 43, the stylite exchanged communion with the patriarch
Gennadius after being miraculously ordained; cf. Pratum Spirituale 36 for a Monophysite
stylite near Hierapolis receiving communion from Patriarch Ephrem of Antioch, after the
latter had miraculously demonstrated the superiority of the Chalcedonian position. Receiv¬
ing or exchanging communion showed that the stylite had proper relations with the estab¬
lished church; cf. Lane-Fox, ‘Daniel’ 210.
122 Not surprisingly, the notion of the stylite as an angel among men, occupying a
station between earth and heaven, is found in the Lives of Symeon, e.g. Syriac Life 52
(Doran).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
35
eye-witnesses has written the miracles of this man, while Theodoret too,
the bishop of Cyrrhus, has also written and eloquently recorded
them; 123 leaving aside most matters therein, 124 we have learnt something
which is preserved to the present day by those in the holy desert, and
ascertained it from them.
And so after Symeon, this angel upon earth, this citizen of the
supernal Jerusalem while in the flesh, pursued this strange course which
was unknown to mankind, those in the holy desert sent someone to
him, 125 enjoining him to say what is this outlandish existence, why after
abandoning the well-worn path that has been trodden by the saints is he
travelling some strange way that is utterly unknown to mankind; and
that they instruct him to descend and to follow the way of the chosen
Fathers. If he willingly proffered himself for the descent, these men
ordered that permission be granted him to pursue his own way; for from
his obedience 1221 it would be clear that he thus persevered in the struggle
under guidance from God; but should he resist, or indeed be a slave to his
personal will and not directly respond to the injunction, he should be
dragged down, even forcibly. 126 When indeed the man came to him and
announced the command of the Fathers, and Symeon had at once put
forward one of his two feet in his desire to fulfil the Fathers’ injunction,
123 The Greek Life by the monk Antony and the anonymous Syriac Life both claim to
have been written by eye-witnesses, though Lane-Fox, ‘Daniel’ 181-5, is sceptical, espe¬
cially about Antony’s work; Theodoret, RH 26. Further discussion of the different versions
in Lietzmann, Symeon; Peeters, Trefonds 93-136; Festugiere, Antioche 347-87; Harvey,
‘Sense’; Doran, Lives.
124 The text is slightly awkward. Festugiere (218 n. 48) adopted the suggestion in Bidez-
Parmentier’s apparatus that sv 8s au be read for sv q>, ‘leaving aside most matters, we have
taken no more than one ...’, but the sense is clear without emendation.
125 Festugiere (218 n. 49) suggested that these were probably the Fathers in the Egyptian
desert, and a fragment of John Diakrinomenos (535: text at Theodore Lector 154:1^4)
records that Egyptian monks sent an anathema to Symeon, which they withdrew after
learning more about his life and humility. But there is no reason why monks in the deserts
of Syria or Palestine should not have been equally concerned about this ascetic innovation,
since Symeon’s early monastic career had caused much controversy. The Life of Daniel, 7-
8, records an incident when Mesopotamian monks criticized Symeon’s innovatory beha¬
viour, and the Syriac Life 111 (Doran) provides a defence of his practice with reference to
Old Testament champions of God.
126 A recurrent theme in hagiographies, and collections of stories about holy men, is the
relationship of the individual ascetic to the established Church in the form of the leader of a
monastery or the local bishop: see, for example, Theodoret, RH 15.4; 21.6-8,15-21, and cf.
n. 121 above.
36
EVAGRIUS
he freed him to accomplish his own path, declaring: ‘Be strong and
courageous; 127 your station is from God.’ This has been set down by me
as noteworthy, although it has been passed over by those who have
written about him. 128
On this man the power of divine grace had settled to such an extent
that when Theodosius the emperor had decreed that the Jews in Antioch
should receive back their synagogues which had previously been taken
away by the Christians, he wrote in such frank language and censured
him so vehemently, since he only reverenced his own emperor, that the
emperor Theodosius even revoked his own commands, fulfilled every¬
thing in favour of the Christians, dismissed from office the prefect who
had recommended this, and begged the all-holy and aerial martyr, in
these words, both to supplicate and pray on his behalf and to give him a
share of his own blessing. 129 And so he passed his time, pursuing this life
in the flesh for 56 years: in the first monastery, where divine matters
were imparted to him, nine years, and thereafter in the so-called ‘enclo¬
sure’ 47 years; for ten years he accomplished his struggle in a certain
confined space, for seven on a shorter column, and on a 40-cubit one for
30 years. 130
After his departure from here, this man’s all-holy body was later
conveyed to the Antiochene city, when Leo wielded the sceptres, at the
time when Martyrius, who presided over the city of Antioch, and
Ardabur, who in turn was general of the eastern regiments, came to
127 Joshua 1.6.
128 The Life of Daniel 27-8 has an analogous story of the stylite making token submis¬
sion to the powerful landowner Gelanius.
129 On 8 June 423 Theodosius II had addressed a law to the praetorian prefect Ascle-
piodotus, the uncle of Empress Eudocia, which gave protection to law-abiding pagans and
Jews, and to their property (Cod. Theod. xvi.8.27; 10.23-4; cf. Theodore Lector 96:4-8).
Symeon’s blunt reaction is recorded in the Syriac Life 122-3 (Doran), and alluded to in
Theodoret, RH 26.27. A comparable incident during Empress Eudocia’s residence in Jeru¬
salem in the 440s is recorded in the Syriac Life of Barsauma, another Syrian ascetic who
managed to circumvent imperial toleration of the Jews (see Holum, Empresses 217-18).
130 Cf. Syriac Life 110 (Doran) for the same dates; the Greek accounts have different
details. The first monastery was at Teleda (three years according to the Life by Antony 12;
Theodoret, RH 26.4-5, has two years with anonymous ascetics followed by ten years at
Teleda). After moving to Telneshin, Symeon first inhabited a small hut, after which, to re¬
strict his mobility, he attached himself by a chain to a heavy stone on the summit of Qalat
Seman (Theodoret, RH 26.10); he then ascended a column to escape the crowds, and pro¬
gressively increased the column’s height (to a maximum of 36 cubits according to Theodor¬
et, RH 26.12).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
37
Symeon’s ‘enclosure’ together with the soldiers in his command and offi¬
cers and others, 1231 and protected the most sacred corpse of the blessed
Symeon lest the nearby cities should come together and snatch it away.
Accordingly, while very great miracles occurred even on the journey, his
all-holy body was conveyed to the city of Antioch. 131 The emperor Leo
also demanded to be given it by the Antiochenes. The people of Antioch
presented requests to him, writing as follows: ‘Because of the fact that
our city does not have a wall, since it collapsed in an earthquake, we
have brought the all-holy body so as to be a wall and protection for us.’
Persuaded by these, and acceding to the requests, he left them the
revered body. 132
131 Symeon died on his column on 2 September 459. The ‘enclosure’ ( mandra ; literally
‘sheep-fold’) was the name given to the dry-stone structures which admirers had built
around the column (Life by Antony 12).
Symeon’s disciples feared that local countrymen might attempt to steal the corpse and
cause trouble, and so placed a coffin on top of the column (Syriac Life 117-18 [Doran]).
Meantime, the inhabitants of Antioch demanded the body as a talisman, and the authorities
there made arrangements for its transportation from Qalat Seman to the city with an escort
of Gothic troops (Malalas 369:10-16). The corpse was brought down from the column on 21
September, carried by hand to the village of Sih where it was placed on a cart, and reached
Antioch on 25 September; without apparent cause, the procession stopped at the village of
Marwa/Merope, where a deranged necrophiliac was restored to his senses after touching
the cart (Syriac Life 127 [Doran]; different details in the Life by Antony 29, 31-2, with Sar¬
acens threatening to steal the corpse). For competition for the body of a saint, cf. Theodoret,
RH 15.5-6; 19.3; 21.30.
Martyrius, Patriarch of Antioch 459-70; Ardabur, magister militum per Orientem 453-
66: see PLREII. 135-7, j.v. Ardabur 1.
132 Cf. Syriac Life 128 (Doran) for the same exchange with Leo; Malalas also (369:10-
16) implies that the body remained in Antioch, where it was first placed in the church of
Cassianus but then moved to the Great Church, where a chapel was built for it. On the
other hand, the Life of Daniel 58 records that the body, or part of it, was taken to Constan¬
tinople (discussion in Lane-Fox, ‘Daniel’ 193-6).
For the earthquake at Antioch, cf. Evagrius ii. 12 and notes. The word used for ‘earth¬
quake’ in the Antiochenes’ request, opyt], literally ‘anger’, is common for natural disasters,
which were seen as demonstrations of God’s displeasure: cf. Jeffreys, Studies 159, for
Malalas’ use of 9sopr| via, ‘wrath of God’, for various misfortunes.
It is noticeable that Evagrius’ information in this and the preceding paragraph is close to
the Syriac Life, whereas the Life by Antony has different details (Theodoret’s narrative in
RH was composed before Symeon’s death and so is not relevant). Allen, Evagrius 86, specu¬
lated that there must have been a Greek version of the Syriac Life. Lane-Fox, ‘Daniel’ 184,
suggested, on other grounds, that the Life by Antony might have been composed after the
Life of Symeon the Younger, which would date it later than Evagrius’ own work (cf. vi n. 91
below).
38
EVAGRIUS
Most of this man has been safeguarded up to this time, and along
with many priests I saw his holy head, indeed, while the widely celebrated
Gregory was bishop here, since Philippicus had requested that precious
relics should be sent to him for the protection of the eastern armies. 133
And the extraordinary thing was that the hairs which lay upon his head
had not been corrupted, but are preserved as if he were alive again and
associating with men. And the skin on his forehead was wrinkled and
withered, but still it is intact, as are the majority of his teeth, except for
those forcibly removed by the hands of devout men: 134 through their
appearance they proclaim what the nature, size and age of Symeon the
man of God had been. Next to the head there also lies the collar fashioned
from iron, with which the widely famous body persevered in the struggle
and shared the rewards from God; for not even in death has the beloved
iron abandoned Symeon. 135 1 would thus have described in detail each
individual incident, providing a benefit both to myself and to the readers
from the account, if Theodoret, as I have already said, had not toiled
over these things more expansively. 136
14 Well now, let me also entrust to my history another thing which I
have seen. I yearned to see the precinct of this particular holy man. [ 24 ]
It is distant from Theopolis about 300 stades, 137 lying at the very peak
of the mountain. The local people call it ‘enclosure’, since the asceticism
of the all-holy Symeon, I suppose, bequeathed the appellation to the
133 Philippicus, magister militum per Orientem 584-7, 588-9: PLRE III. 1022-6, s.v.
Philippicus 3; Evagrius (vi.3) attempted to present his achievements as favourably as possi¬
ble; before the battle of Solachon in 586, Philippicus paraded an acheiropoietos image (a
miraculous icon of Christ) through the army (Theophylact ii.3.4-9).
134 The Life by Antony 29 reports that Patriarch Martyrius attempted to remove a hair
from Symeon’s beard as a relic, but that his hand shrivelled until the other bishops present
prayed to the saint and assured him that his body and clothing were intact and would not
sulfer any further tampering. However, according to the Life of Daniel 23, Symeon’s leather
tunic was conveyed to Constantinople by one of his disciples, Sergius, who presented it to
the stylite Daniel after failing to gain an audience with Emperor Leo.
135 This presumbly refers to the iron band which first served to chain Symeon’s leg to his
rock and then to attach himself to his column (Syriac Life 93 [Doran]).
136 Evagrius deliberately presented information that was not available in Theodoret,
RH 26, especially on Symeon’s death and his links with Antioch. Theodoret’s account is
significantly shorter than the other Greek Life by Antony (by about one quarter), and this
in turn is shorter than the Syriac Life, of which a version appears to have been available to
Evagrius (cf. n. 132 above). Only Theodoret’s account could claim stylistic merit.
137 60 kilometres.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
39
place. 138 The journey up the mountain is a distance of twenty stades. 139
The church building is formed in the manner of a cross, being adorned
on the four sides with aisles; columns beautifully made from polished
stone are ranged along the aisles, and raise up the roof to a pretty good
height. In the centre is an open-air court, executed with the greatest
artistry. Here stands the 40-cubit column on which the angel incarnate
on earth accomplished his heavenly life. 140 Then, near the roof of the
aforementioned aisles are openings - some call them windows - which
open onto the aforementioned open area and onto the aisles. 141
138 There is a minor textual variant: most MSS read xaraXuionori 1 ; (feminine partici¬
ple, so that ‘asceticism’ is the subject; accepted by Bidez-Parmentier), whereas one (Paris
1444) reads KataA-urovio^ (masculine participle, with Symeon as subject; accepted by Vale-
sius and Festugiere, 221, who translated, ‘the most holy Symeon having, I think, left this
name to the place of his asceticism’). The difference is not, in fact, of great significance,
and turns on whether it is logical to suppose that Symeon’s ascetic practice could have
given a name to the place. The word order does not favour Festugiere’s interpretation, and
I do not find his arguments against Bidez-Parmentier compelling: during Symeon’s lifetime
a double mandra, ‘enclosure’ was built around his column (cf. n. 131 above), and it is not
difficult to envisage that this became the local term for the whole complex within which
Symeon practised his ascetic ideal, and so continued to be applied after his death to the
church that now surrounded his column.
139 At the foot of the mountain were the monasteries of Telneshin, which had initially
supported Symeon’s ascetic endeavours and then benefited substantially from his fame.
Twenty stades (4 km) is rather long for the distance between the lower buildings and the
column on the summit, but there may have been a circuitous ceremonial ascent.
140 The complex, which measures over 300 feet from east to west, and 280 feet from
north to south, was constructed in the latter part of Zeno’s reign (476-90). At the centre is
the octagon enclosing Symeon’s pillar, of which the base survives, and from this radiate four
basilicas, each with two aisles. There is debate about whether the octagonal court was ori¬
ginally covered by a roof. Detailed discussion of the buildings in Tchalenko, Villages I. 23-
67; see also Mango, Architecture 48-51, for summary and good photographs, and Krenck-
er, Simeon.
141 The sentence is rather obscure, and there is disagreement about what ‘openings’
(tcLsiSpiSia) are intended: in BEL (276) KA.£i0piSia is rendered ‘balustrade’; Festugiere
(222 n. 59) paraphrased this as ‘small openings closed by a grill’, and identified these as
both windows in fhe main aisles and the small windows that pierced the four apsidal
niches (visible in Mango, Architecture plates 61-2), which occupied those sides of the
central octagon that did not lead into one of the main basilicas.
I am not convinced by Festugiere’s interpretation, since Evagrius appears to be referring
to a single set of elevated openings, of some size, which linked the basilicas and the central
octagon; Festugiere’s small niches would not have provided an impressive setting for the
miraculous shooting star, which would scarcely have been visible to those within the
octagon, let alone to the women assembled outside; the main windows of the aisle would
40
EVAGRIUS
So, to the left-hand side of the column, 142 in the opening itself, in
company with the whole crowd which had gathered there, while the
country people were circling around the column, 143 1 saw an enormous
star that ran gleaming across the whole opening, not once nor twice nor
three times but frequently indeed, constantly ceasing once more and
again suddenly appearing. 144 This occurs only at the commemorations
of the all-holy one. 145 There are some who say - and because of the cred¬
ibility of the reporters and because of the other things which I have
seen, there is no reason to disbelieve the miracle - that they have even
seen his very face indeed, flying around here and there with a beard
hanging down and his head covered by a hood as was his custom. Thus,
on coming to the place, men gain entry without restriction and they
repeatedly go around the column with their beasts of burden, but for
whatever reason I cannot say there is a most strict watch that no woman
should visit the interior of the sanctuary. 146 The women stand outside
also not have been an appropriate location for the star (see below). Krencker’s reconstruc¬
tion of the basilica, although unfashionable since he postulated that the central octagon was
covered by a cupola, solves this particular problem (Simeon 10-15): Evagrius is referring to
openings located in the facade of each basilica above the richly decorated arch that linked
Ihe basilica to the octagon at ground level. Although the octagon only survives to the top of
Ihe arches (Mango, Architecture plate 62), a set of large windows above this level would
match Evagrius’ specifications and Krencker identified some carved blocks which could
have come from the decorated surrounds of these openings.
142 Evagrius probably imagines himself facing the eastern basilica, the main one since it
terminated in a triple apse, so that the following miracle occured at the entry to the northern
basilica (Festugiere 223 n. 62).
143 Cf. Theodoret, RH 26.14, for the excited and somewhat unruly crowd which
thronged around the column during Symeon’s life. MacMullen, Christianity 103-6, con¬
nects this with other references to the persistence of ritual dancing, in spite of clerical dis¬
approval; this may be right, although Evagrius might just be describing a more orderly
movement around Symeon’s column.
144 Symeon Metaphrastes (PG 114, col. 392) preserves a version of this miracle; as Allen,
Evagrius 86, noted, this is one of the few occasions that Evagrius was used as a source by
later writers.
145 The main feast day was 1 September.
146 The prohibition had applied in Symeon’s life: Theodoret, RH 26.21, records that an
Arab queen sent her infant in to be blessed since she herself was prohibited from entering;
even Symeon’s mother was not allowed to see him during her lifetime, while a sinful woman
had her prayer answered before she attempted to contravene the ban, and a female snake
waited in the women’s section while her mate approached the column to obtain the saint’s
relief for her suffering (Life by Antony 14,23, 25).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
41
near |25| the doorway and admire the wonder, for one of the doors is situ¬
ated opposite the gleaming star. 147
15 In the same reign Isidore was also prominent; his fame was wide¬
spread, as the poet said, 148 and he was famous among all for deed and
word; this man so wasted the flesh by toils and so enriched the soul with
elevating words that on earth he pursued an angelic life and throughout
was a living monument of solitary life and contemplation of God. Now
he wrote many other things that are full of every benefit, but he also
wrote to the celebrated Cyril: from this in particular it is revealed that
he flourished at the same time as the venerable man. 149
As I labour over these things as elegantly as I can, well now let Syne-
sius of Cyrene come into the middle to adorn the discourse with his own
remembrance. 150 This Synesius was learned in all other matters, but
philosophy he practised to such an exceptional degree that he was
admired even by Christians who judge what they see with neither
sympathy nor antipathy. They therefore persuaded him to be deemed
worthy of the redeeming rebirth and to undertake the yoke of the priest¬
hood, even though he had not yet accepted the doctrine of the resurrec¬
tion, nor did he wish to hold this opinion. They conjectured quite
accurately that these things too would follow the man’s other virtues,
since divine favour does not endure anything to be defective: and they
were not deceived in their hope. For his nature and greatness are revealed
by the letters which he elegantly and learnedly composed after the priest¬
hood, and by the speech addressed to Theodosius himself, and by those of
his worthy labours that are in circulation. 151
147 The main entrance to the complex surrounding the octagon was through the south
basilica, which possessed a fagade with three doors, so that women gathered outside the
main door could have seen the star flitting across the entrance to the north basilica.
148 Homer, Odyssey i.344; cf. Evagrius v.6 for the conceit.
149 Isidore of Pelusium was abbot of a monastery near the eastern end of the Nile Delta
c. 40CM10. He defended John Chrysostom’s memory against Cyril. About 2,000 of his letters
survive, including some to Cyril (i.310, 323-4, 370: PG 88. A new Sources Chretiennes
edition is in preparation, of which volume I, letters 1214-1413, has appeared, ed. P. Evieux
[Paris, 1997]). For Ihe tradition of such literary notices in ecclesiastical histories, see Allen,
Evagrius 87.
150 Synesius, c. 370-413, precedes the period of Evagrius’ History (though cf. i. 19 for
another inaccurate literary notice); Cameron and Long, Barbarians 34. are harshly critical
of Evagrius for this error.
151 For recent discussion, which overturns accepted views, see Cameron and Long, Bar¬
barians, esp. ch. 2. Cameron argued that Synesius was born a Christian, and that he was
42
EVAGRIUS
16 Then too the venerable Ignatius, as is narrated by John the rhetor
along with others, was translated many years after the time when, in
accordance with his wish, he had obtained as a tomb the bellies of wild
beasts in the amphitheatre of Rome, and then - by means of the more
bulky bones, which being left behind were carried off to the city of
Antioch - one in the so-called cemetery. 152 For the perfect God
commanded Theodosius to honour Theophorus |26] with greater
honours and to dedicate to the prize-winning martyr a temple formerly
devoted to the demons, and named by the local people Tychaeum. 153
And the former Tychaeum became a pure shrine and holy precinct for
Ignatius, when his holy remains had been brought through the city on a
carriage with a sacred escort and deposited in the precinct. Hence a
public festival and popular celebration is kept down to our time, since
the prelate Gregory elevated it to greater magnificence. 154 The same
baptized in 401, a decade before his consecration as bishop of Ptolemais in 411. He was
educated at Alexandria in the 390s, where he counted the philosopher Hypatia among his
teachers, and he remained interested in, and under the influence of, neo-Platonic doctrines.
His doubts about the doctrine of the resurrection are expressed in Letter 105, where Syne-
sius discusses the three issues that made him hesitate to accept ordination as a bishop (the
other two were the questions of the origin of the soul and of the eventual destruction of the
world); he refers to the resurrection as an ineffable mystery on which he does not share the
views of the ordinary people.
Synesius’ speech On Kingship was addressed to Arcadius, in 398 according to Cameron
and Long, Barbarians ch. 4; two extant manuscripts do, however, name the addressee as
Theodosius, and a lemma specifies that this was Theodosius I. Evagrius presumably be¬
lieved that it was addressed to Theodosius II, hence his decision to include Synesius at this
point.
152 Bishop Ignatius of Antioch was martyred at Rome under Trajan, probably in 116; his
remains were subsequently returned to Antioch and interred outside the Daphne gate; see
Downey, Antioch 292-9. John Malalas, to whom Evagrius regularly alludes as John the
rhetor (i.e. ‘speaker’, ‘lawyer’) records the martyrdom (276:10-11), but the surviving
abridged text does not record this fifth-century translation.
153 Festugiere, 224 n. 68, observed that Theophorus is the Greek surname for the Latin
Ignatius. The location of Antioch’s Tychaeum, the shrine to the city’s Fortune, is unknown
but was an obvious place in which to install a saintly local protector; Libanius, in his speech
On behalf of the temples of 386/7, stated that the shrine was still intact (xxx.51). The
Tychaeum at Alexandria had been transferred to a secular use c. 400.
154 Why Gregory chose to revitalize this long-established festival is unknown, but this
might have been an attempt to offset his unpopularity with the urban plebs at Antioch (cf.
vi.7) or to bolster morale after the earthquake of 588.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
43
things came about by various means, 155 since God honours the holy
memories of His saints.
For the Daphnean Apollo with the Castalian prophetic voice 156
could give no reply to the emperor when the sinful Julian, the tyrant
hateful to God, consulted the oracle, because the holy Babylas was
completely stopping his voice from nearby, and Julian against his will
and under the lash, honoured the saint with translation. 157 At that time
indeed, a most spacious church was built for him outside the city, which
is preserved even to this day, so that in future the demons might do their
own deeds with impunity, as they say they had previously promised to
Julian. 158 This then was what was arranged by the saviour God, so that
both the power of those who had been martyred might be conspicuous
155 Festugiere, 225 n. 70, rendered the phrase ekeiOev evOev with temporal sense, 'at the
present time’, but the only other occurrence in Evagrius (ii.5, p. 52:26) should not be treated
temporally. Here the sense is that God ensures that his saints are honoured by both pious
and impious emperors, which provides a pretext for recounting the story of Babylas’ relics.
156 The allusion ultimately is to the Castalian spring at Delphi, Apollo’s main prophetic
centre, although it was common to apply Delphic terminology to Apollo’s shrine at
Daphne: see Downey, Antioch 82-6 for the origins of the Temple and its spring, and 659-
64, excursus 18, which refers to the discussion by J. Lassus (in Elderkin, Antioch-on-the-
Orontes 1.114-56) of the Yakto mosaic in which the Daphne springs are labelled ‘Castalia’.
The spring at Daphne had been blocked by Emperor Hadrian, since he had received a pro¬
phecy of his own accession to the throne and subsequently wanted to deny such foreknow¬
ledge to others (Ammianus xxii.12.8).
157 Before reaching Antioch in July 362 Julian had ordered the re-erection of the colon¬
nade around the temple of Apollo; Julian’s brother, the Caesar Gallus, had purified the site
a decade earlier by the translation of the relics of the local martyr Babylas, and Apollo’s
temple and its major festival in August were now ignored by most Antiochenes, much to
Julian’s dismay ( Misopogon 34-5). Julian frequently visited the temple and presented
lavish gifts, but failed to revive its popularity or obtain an oracular response; the silence
was blamed on the presence of the martyr’s bones, and Julian ordered their eviction, an
event which the Christian community at Antioch turned into an anti-pagan procession. Cf.
Socrates iii.18; Sozomen v.19; Theodoret, EH iii.10; Theophanes 49:28-50:23; John Chry¬
sostom, De S. Bahvla, contra Julianum et Gentiles (PG 50, cols. 533—72), of which the con¬
temporary narrative section, chs. 75-109, is translated in Lieu, Julian 65-81. G. Downey,
‘The Shrines of St. Babylas at Antioch and Daphne’, in Stillwell, Antioch-on-the-Orontes
II. 45-8; also Downey, Antioch 364, 387.
158 The relics were buried in the Antioch cemetery, until a cruciform church on the west
bank of the Orontes was constructed by Bishop Meletius c. 380: Downey, Antioch 415-16.
Evagrius fails to note that Ihe temple of Apollo was destroyed by fire shortly after the
removal of Babylas’ relics, a point celebrated with relish by the Christian sources quoted
above; see also Ammianus xxii.13.1-3.
44
EVAGRIUS
and the undefiled remains of the holy martyr might be transferred to an
undefiled place, being honoured with a most beautiful precinct.
17 At this period the much-reported war was stirred up by Attila the
king of the Scythians. This the rhetor Priscus recorded comprehensively
and with exceptional learning, narrating with great elegance how he
campaigned against both eastern and western regions, which cities and
how many he captured and destroyed, and after how many achievements
he departed this world. 159
Now, while the same Theodosius was wielding the sceptres, a very
great, extraordinary earthquake, one that surpassed its predecessors
127], occurred throughout the whole inhabited world, so to speak, with
the result that many of the towers at the royal city were laid flat, and the
so-called Long Wall of the Chersonese collapsed; 160 the earth gaped and
many villages sank into it; again there were many, indeed innumerable
misfortunes both on land and at sea; and whereas some springs were
rendered dry, elsewhere a quantity of water was sent up where there was
none previously, entire trees were upturned roots and all, and numerous
mounds were instantly turned into mountains; the sea hurled up corpses
of fish and many of the islands in it were swamped; again, sea-going
159 For the fragments of Priscus, and other passages indirectly derived from him, see
Blockley, Historians ; Jeep, ‘Quellenuntersuchungen’ 160, asserted that Evagrius derived
his Priscan material via the (lost) Universal History of Eustathius of Epiphania, but it is
possible that Evagrius had read the famous fifth-century historian for himself. For narrative
of Attila’s achievements, see Thompson, Attila: in the 440s Attila’s Huns rampaged across
the Balkans, sacking many of the major cities such as Singidunum, Naissus, Serdica and
Philippopolis, and ravaging as far south as Thermopylae; in 450 Attila turned west, lured
by the prospect of marriage to the Augusta Honoria, but his invasion of Gaul was defeated
by Aetius and an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Catalaunian plains in 451; in 452 he
invaded northern Italy and razed Aquileia, but then unexpectedly withdrew; he died in 453
from a haemorrhage after excessive celebrations at his wedding feast.
160 The earthquake struck on Sunday 26 January 447: Chron. Pasch. s.a. 447, p. 586:6
14; 450, p. 589:6-16; Marc. Com. s.a. 447; extensive damage at Constantinople is attested,
especially to the walls (57 towers collapsed) and in the south-western sector of the city, and
there were numerous casualties. The event was commemorated annually by a religious pro¬
cession to the Hebdomon (which brought on Marcian’s death in 457). For discussion, see
Croke, ‘Earthquakes’, 131-44.
The Long Walls are those which defended the Gallipoli peninsula, not the outer defences
of Constantinople, which were only constructed after this earthquake and the Hun invasion
of the same year (Whitby, ‘Walls’, 575; there is some confusion in the comments of Festu-
giere, 226 n. 72a, and Allen, Evagrius 88).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
45
ships were seen on dry land when the waters retreated back. Much of
Bithynia and Hellespont and both Phrygias suffered. The disaster
gripped the earth for a time, not continuing so violently as at the begin¬
ning but gradually weakening until it had completely ceased.
18 At this period Memnon and Zoilus and Callistus, men who distin¬
guished our religion, were sent out by Theodosius as governors to the
city of the Antiochenes. 161 And while Memnon beautifully and elabo¬
rately reconstructed from the foundations the building called even to
our day the Psephium, leaving an open-air court in the centre, 162 Zoilus
built the basilica on the south side of that of Rufinus, which has inherited
his name to our own day, even though there are changes in the buildings
due to diverse disasters. 163 But Callistus erected a magnificent and
prominent structure, which both men of former times and we now call
the Stoa of Callistus, in front of the seats established for Justice, opposite
the forum where stands the most attractive house which is the residence
of the generals. 164 After these Anatolius was in turn sent as general of
the eastern regiments |28] and he built the stoa named that of Anatolius,
decorating it with every kind of material. These details, even if periph¬
eral, are not without their attraction to those who love knowledge. 165
161 For discussion of this chapter, with its infuriatingly imprecise allusions to Antio¬
chene buildings, see Downey, Antioch 453^4, 625-7. Memnon and Callistus are not other¬
wise known; for Zoilus, see PLRE II. 1204, s. v. Zoilus 2. It is impossible to tell whether their
official position was comes Orientis or consularis Syriae, but their tenure of office should be
earlier than 433, when Anatolius (see n. 164 below) went to the East.
162 Festugiere, 227 n. 73, following LSJ, suggested that the Psephium was a building
covered in mosaic, \|/ r l4 > r<^- Downey, Antioch 453-4,627, had already dismissed this etymol¬
ogy and instead connected the name with v|rf|4>o<;, 'vote’; he tentatively suggested that the
passage referred to the Hellenistic agora and its surrounds, and speculated that the Pse¬
phium might be identical with the houleuterion (council chamber) which is known to have
had an open-air court.
163 It is not absolutely clear whose name the basilica inherited since toutou in the Greek
(literally 'of this man’) should refer to the nearest name, Rufinus, whereas the rest of the
sentence deals with Zoilus’ construction (the interpretation of BEL 281 and Festugiere 227).
164 Seats for Justice: Festugiere, 227,475, translated as 'statues to Justice’, but Downey,
Antioch 626, had rightly seen this as a reference to one of the lawcourts; these could desig¬
nate the praetorium of the comes Orientis near the Hellenistic agora, or that of the consularis
Syriae at the forum of Valens; the location of the residence (or the praetorium , if that is
intended) of the magister militumper Orientem (the most prominent military commander
in the city) is not known.
165 Anatolius (PLRE II. 84-6, s.v. Anatolius 10), magister militum per Orientem c. 433-
46. Malalas 360:7-15 describes this 'large, well-lit and very beautiful’ basilica, which was
46
EVAGRIUS
19 In the same times of Theodosius there were frequent uprisings in
Europe when Valentinian was emperor of Rome; these indeed Theodo¬
sius overcame by sending great forces both by land and sea with an
infantry and naval armament. 166 Thus too he dominated the Persians
when they committed outrages while Yazdgard, the father of Varam,
was their king, or as Socrates thinks when Varam himself was king, with
the result that when they sent an embassy he granted them peace, which
endured until the twelfth year of the reign of Anastasius. 167 Although
these matters are narrated by others, they have been abbreviated with
exceptional elegance by Eustathius the Syrian from Ephiphania, who
also narrated the capture of Amida. 168
funded by Theodosius under Anatolius’ supervision; an inscription in gold mosaic gave
credit for the building to the emperor.
The digression concludes in characteristic fashion. Although the extant text of Malalas
only preserves the information about Anatolius, all the material in this chapter on local
buildings was probably derived from his account.
166 There were numerous problems in the West during Ihe reign of Valentinan III (425
55), which saw the loss of Africa to the Vandals and the consolidation of Visigothic control
in Aquitania, as well as Attila’s invasion. Three major expeditions were organized by the
East, the first in 424/5 to remove the usurper John from Ravenna, when Ardabur sailed
from Salona to Italy while Aspar and the cavalry proceeded by land via Sirmium, and the
other two against the Vandals in 431 and 441; both the Vandal expeditions were naval en¬
terprises, and both failed. Cf. Theodoret, EH v.37.4-10, for praise of Theodosius’ military
successes over Huns and Persians, and see Croke, ‘Evidence’ 365-6, for Theodosius II’s
victory monument (a statue atop a column with an inscribed base) at the Hebdomon.
167 This refers to the Persian war of 421 12, which broke out during the reign of Vahram
V (420/21-38), although the origins of the war lay in the reign of his father Yazdgard I (399
420/21), when Christian enthusiasts stirred up trouble in Persia by attacking Zoroastrian
buildings; this triggered retaliation and some Christians sought refuge with the Romans,
who refused to return them when the Persians demanded; the Romans achieved some vic¬
tories (Theodoret, EH v.39; Socrates vii.8,18, 20; Theophanes 82:18-83:2; 85:24-86:9), but
a Hunnic incursion into Thrace prompted a return to peace (Croke, ‘Evidence’ 348-9). Eva-
grius seems unaware of the war of 440-2, which briefly interrupted the peace that otherwise
lasted until Kavadh’s invasion in 502, the twelfth year of Anastasius.
Festugiere (227 n. 76) identified these events with Ihe war of440-2, with the king as Yazd¬
gard II (438-57), and suggested that Vahram was an error for Kavadh; but Evagrius’ refer¬
ence to Socrates makes this most unlikely, and Kavadh was in any case the son of Peroz.
Evagrius’ chronology in this section is confused, and his omission of the later war is in
keeping with the muddle.
168 The eastern campaign of 502/3, which included the Persian capture of Amida, was
the last major event reported by Eustathius, who appears to have died in 502/3: cf. iii.37,
with notes; also the section on Evagrius’ sources in the Introduction (xxvi above). The war
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
47
They say that both Claudian and Cyrus the poets were conspicuous then,
that Cyrus also ascended the supreme seat of the prefects which our
predecessors called the prefect of the court, and that he commanded the
western forces when Carthage was conquered by the Vandals and
Geiseric was leader of the barbarians. 169
20 Now, this Theodosius married Eudocia after she had partaken of the
saving baptism; she was an Athenian by birth, well-spoken and beautiful
in appearance; the intermediary for him was the empress Pulcheria, his
sister. 170 By this woman a child was born to him, Eudoxia, whom subse¬
quently, when she reached the age of marriage, the emperor Valentinian
betrothed; he set out from the elder Rome and came to the city of
Constantine. 171 Some time later, when Eudocia was travelling towards
the holy city of Christ our God, she came here and in a public speech to
the populace here she concluded her speech with this line, 129|
of 421 /2 was narrated by Olympiodorus, a historian whom Evagrius does not mention, that
of 440-2 by Priscus.
169 This poetic duo is somewhat odd, and reflects Evagrius’ vague awareness of fifth-
century affairs; both authors were Christians, but neither was renowned for his beliefs,
unlike Isidore and Synesius who are discussed in i.15. Although Claudian came from
Egypt and wrote some Greek works (e.g. a Gigantomachy of which fragments survive), he
is famous for his Latin panegyrics composed in Italy during Honorius’ reign, mainly for the
emperor and his principal supporter, Stilicho; he probably died before 408. For full discus¬
sion, see Alan Cameron, Claudian.
Cyrus was also an Egyptian, from Panopolis, and came to prominence at Constantinople
through the patronage of the empress Eudocia; he was twice urban prefect, and was distin¬
guished for holding the urban and praetorian prefectures concurrently in 439^11. Like
Eudocia he was a victim of the eunuch Chrysaphius, and fell from favour in 441 (Alan
Cameron, ‘Empress’ 254-70; in 443 according to Holum, Empresses 192); he was relegated
to Cotyaeum, where he was made bishop, but returned to Constantinople after Theodosius’
death. For his career, see PLRE II. 336-9 s.v. Cyrus 7 (correcting Evagrius’ scniEpimv to
eqcov, ‘western’ to ‘eastern’, since Cyrus never held office in the West); also Alan Cameron,
‘Empress’ 221-5.
Carthage fell to the Vandals on 19 October 439. Geiseric had led the Vandals into Africa
in 429, a year after becoming king, and he ruled until 477.
170 A long and somewhat romantic account of Pulcheria’s discovery of Eudocia as wife
for her brother is recorded in Malalas, 352:8-355:10; the marriage was celebrated on 7 June
421. Holum, Empresses 112-21; Alan Cameron, ‘Empress’ 270-9.
171 Eudoxia was born on 2 January 423, and betrothed to the five-year-old Valentinian
in 424; the marriage was celebrated on 29 October 437.
48
EVAGRIUS
Of your race and blood I am proud to be 172
alluding to the colonies that were sent here from Greece. 173 If anyone is
curious to know about these, it has been narrated comprehensively by
the geographer Strabo, Phlegon and Diodorus of Sicily, as well as
Arrian and the poet Pisander, and furthermore Ulpian and Libanius
and Julian the superlative sophists. 174 And the sons of the Antiochenes
honoured her with a statue artfully fashioned from bronze, which is
preserved even to our time. 175 As a result of her entreaty Theodosius
added a very great area to the city, by extending the wall as far as the
gate which leads to the suburb of Daphne: those who wish may see it,
for the ancient wall may be traced even to our day, since its remnants
guide the gaze. But there are some who say that the elder Theodosius
172 Eudocia made two visits to the Holy Land, passing through Antioch on each occa¬
sion (Evagrius, i.20). It is normal to connect this speech with the first visit in 438 (e.g.
Downey, Antioch 450-1; Holum, Empresses 117), but the second visit in the early 440s
cannot be excluded (Whitby & Whitby, Chron. Pasch. 75, n. 251).
The verse is adapted from Homer, Iliad vi.211; xx.241.
173 Most modern scholars accept the ancient tradition, which goes back to Malalas at
least, that Eudocia was Athenian by birth, but could claim affinity with the Antiochenes
since some of the original settlers of Antioch in 300 BC had come from Athens via the
short-lived Antigonia (Downey, Antioch 79-80; Malalas 211:19 is explicit). Holum (Em¬
presses 116-18), however, urged that she was actually from Antioch, but such a literal inter¬
pretation goes against Eudocia’s penchant for recherche allusions (cf. Malalas 357:21—
358:1, on her rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem); the indications that she may have patron¬
ized the construction of a major church in Athens (Garth Fowden, ‘Achaea’ 558-62) also
support a link with that city.
174 Evagrius clearly did not consult all of these authorities himself, but merely lifted the
list from a more recent work. Those texts which survive in fact relate to the mythical begin¬
nings of Antioch when Triptolemus set out from Argos in search of Io, who had been
seduced by Zeus (Strabo xvi.5, C750; Libanius xi.44-51); Pisander of Laranda, who com¬
posed a treatise on divine unions with mortals under Severus Alexander (c. 230), will also
have dealt with the mythical past, as too probably Ulpian of Emesa, a teacher of rhetoric at
Antioch under Constantine, and Julian of Athens, a fourth-century sophist. Phlegon of
Tralles and Arrian of Nicomedia, both Hadrianic authors, might have been interested in
the historical foundation, but this cannot be determined; Diodorus, a universal historian
of the first century BC, recorded the foundation in a lost part of his work.
175 Chron. Pasch. 585:12-14, and the Tusculan fragment of Malalas (this confirms that
the information was in the original text of Malalas), record that a gilded statue was set up in
the houleuterion and a bronze one outside the Museum; Chron. Pasch. also states that they
were still standing. For the affectation ‘sons of the Antiochenes’ cf. iii.10 (p. 109:9), iv.6
(p. 156:8-119), iv.35 (p. 185:14); cf. iv.26 (p. 173:1) for Apamea.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
49
extended the wall. 176 And he donated gold coins weighing two hundred
pounds for the bath of Valens which had been burned in part. 177
21 From here then Eudocia came twice to Jerusalem. And for what
reason or with what primary objective, as they say, must be left to
the historians, even though they do not seem to me to be truthful. 178
Nevertheless, then, on coming to the holy city of Christ she did many
things in honour of the saviour God, so that she built both sacred
monasteries and the so-called lavra} 19 In these the regimen is
176 Malalas 346:5-347:5 attributed this southern extension to protect the expanding city
to Theodosius I, at the instigation of the praetorian prefect Antiochus Chuzon; the refer¬
ence to Antiochus Chuzon securely dates the event to the reign of Theodosius II, when two
people of this name, grandfather and grandson, served as praetorian prefect in 430-1 and
448 respectively (PLRE II. 103^4, s.v. Antiochus 7 and 10). The new wall may incorrectly
have been associated with Eudocia because of her involvement in the restoration of the wall
of Jerusalem (Malalas 357:21-358:1). The new Daphne Gate was gilded and named the
Golden Gate, perhaps in imitation of that at Constantinople. Discussion in Downey,
Antioch 452-3 with map at plate 11 (which marks both the new wall and the old one of
Tiberius); for the increasing population of Antioch in the late fourth century, see also Lie-
beschuetz, Antioch 92-100.
177 The bath built by Valens was located near the Hippodrome (Malalas 339:17-18); he
had taken great interest in its construction, and among the portents of his death were cries of
heralds directing that wood be brought to the baths to burn them down (Ammianus
xxxi.1.2). Chron. Pasch. (585:14-16) also records that Eudocia gave money to the city’s
grain fund.
178 For the dates, see n. 172 above. Socrates (vii.47.2) claimed that the (first) journey was
to fulfil a vow to make a pilgrimage if she saw her daughter’s marriage. The second visit,
after which Eudocia remained in the Holy Land until her death, was connected with
rumours of a liaison with Theodosius’ friend, Paulinus (Malalas 356:17-357:20); Holum,
Empresses 183-5, speculated that tensions within the imperial family, and in particular
rivalry between the two Augustae, Pulcheria and Eudocia, may have been a factor in the
earlier visit. Evagrius is characteristically reluctant to discuss an issue detrimental to the
reputation of one of his favourites: cf. vi.3 (p. 224:14-18) for silence about Philippicus’
achievements as general, and Theodoret, EH v.34.9, for a similar attitude.
179 Socrates (vii.47.3) refers to lavish gifts to Jerusalem’s churches on her first visit; she
attended the dedication of a church to Stephen and associated with the ascetic Melania the
Younger (Holum, Empresses 185-9). Malalas, 357:21-358:1, records Eudocia’s reconstruc¬
tion of the city walls; the Life of Euthymius (35) reports the foundation of a large number of
churches, monasteries, poor-houses and hospices, as well as other benefactions; specific
mention is made of a church to Peter about 2.5 miles from the lavra of Euthymius and one
to Stephen (cf. i.22, with n. 186 below). For one example of her benefactions, see Rufus,
Plerophories 11, p. 27. In the Holy Land Eudocia also composed a number of Christian
works in an elevated literary style: for an unsympathetic assessment of their quality, see
Alan Cameron, ‘Empress’ 282-5.
50
EVAGRIUS
different, but the organization results in a single objective dear to
God. 180
For those who live in groups are under the mastery of none of those
things which weigh one down to earth; for they have no gold - but why
should I mention gold when neither any garment nor anything edible is
personal property. For the cloak or tunic which one now wears, this
another dons after a short time, so that indeed the garment of all seems
to belong to one and that of one to all. And a common table is set out
not enriched with dainties nor any other | 30 | delicacies, but welcoming
with greens and pulses alone which are supplied only to the extent of
providing subsistence. They pass both days and nights in communal
supplications to God, so wearing themselves down and so afflicting
themselves with toils that one might think one saw them on earth as
corpses without tombs. Some frequently perform what are called
‘extras’, fulfilling fasts for two or three days, while others do this even
for five days or more indeed, and scarcely partake of essential suste¬
nance. 181
But then again others take an opposite course and confine themselves
alone in little abodes that have such breadth and height that they cannot
stand their bodies upright nor indeed lay themselves down at ease,
remaining in caves and holes in the earth in accordance with the apostle’s
word. 182 Others becoming co-residents with wild beasts make their
appeals to God even in trackless recesses of the earth. But yet another
method has been devised by them, which transcends the capacity of all
courage and endurance; for setting themslves loose in the scorched
desert and covering only the essentials of nature - both men and women
- they commit the rest of their body naked to extreme frosts and baking
180 Eudocia’s involvement with the two different types of monastic community, the lavra
or collection of anchorites who lived in separate huts under the control of a single abbot, and
the coenobium in which a more communal style of life was practised, is treated as an oppor¬
tunity for an excursus on the different types of contemporary asceticism; it is noticeable that
nothing is said about the organization of the lavra. Sozomen had described monastic
customs in general (i.12), and in his review of the holy men of different regions (vi.28-34)
gave information about some ascetic practices.
181 This treatment of the coenobitic life seems slightly defensive, and the anchoretic
regime of the lavra was regarded as superior by some (Life of Sabas 45, p. 166:24-6).
Symeon Stylites the Elder, while in the monastery at Teleda, imposed extra afflictions on
himself, such as week-long fasts, but these provoked jealousies within the monastic commu¬
nity and led to his expulsion (Theodoret, RH 26.5).
182 Elebrews 11.38. For this practice, cf. Theodoret, RH 3.5; 27.2.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
51
winds, disregarding heat and cold equally. And they completely cast off
human sustenance and feed off the earth - they call them ‘Grazers’ -
furnishing from there only their subsistence, so that in time they also
come to resemble wild beasts, with their appearance distorted and their
mind thereafter incompatible with mankind; on seeing men they even
run, and on being pursued procure for themselves escape either through
swiftness of foot or through one of the impassible places on earth. 183
|31] And I will tell of another type also, which almost escaped me,
although it has highest honour in the eyes of all. They are very few, but
nevertheless there are those who, when through virtue they have
achieved absence of passion, return to the world in the midst of its
turmoils. 184 By proclaiming themselves mad, they thus trample down
vainglory, which, according to the wise Plato, is the last garment that
the soul naturally casts off; 185 so their practice is to eat without passion,
even if needs be among shopkeepers or traders, feeling shame before
neither place nor person nor anything at all. And they frequent the
public baths, generally mixing and washing with the women, being in
such control of the passions that they even play the tyrant over nature,
and neither by sight, nor by touch nor even indeed by actual embrace of
a female do they revert to their own nature; among men they are men,
among women in turn women, wishing to share in the nature of each
and not to be of one nature. So to speak briefly, in this absolutely excel¬
lent and inspired life virtue has fixed its own laws and legislates in opposi¬
tion to nature, so that they partake of none of the very necessities to the
point of satiety. And their own law imposes on them hunger and thirst.
183 Sozomen’s chapter on the monks of Syria includes a description of the Grazers
(vi.33.2); cf. also Theodoret, RH 1.2, Rufus, Plerophories 31, for specific examples (Jacob
of Nisibis; Heliodorus of Cilicia), and other references in Allen, Evagrius 92 n. 82. It was
common for ascetics to try to shun the publicity which their holiness attracted, e.g. Theo¬
doret, RH 15.1-2, the case of Acepsimas whom no one saw or spoke to for 60 years (and
someone who eventually did see him mistook him for a wolf).
184 The last category of ascetic is the Holy Fool, or salos. The best-attested contempor¬
ary example was Symeon of Emesa, some of whose actions Evagrius later described (iv.34),
and this passage is almost a synopsis of Symeon’s behaviour; early in his ascetic career
Symeon had been a Grazer (Life 133:2-11), and so his progression is reflected in the order
of Evagrius’ treatment: Ryden, ‘Fool’ 108-9, in fact suggested that Symeon’s biographer,
Leontius, was influenced by the order of material in Evagrius. In general on saloi , see
Krueger, Symeon ch. 4.
185 A saying attributed to Plato in Athenaeus xi, 507D. and paraphrased in Evagrius’
description of Symeon the Fool (iv.34. p. 182:27).
52
EVAGRIUS
and to clothe the body only to the extent that necessity compels. Their
way of life is so counterbalanced on precise scales that when they move
between extremes the tilting is imperceptible to them, even when there is
considerable difference between these. For to such an extent are the
opposites combined in them, since the divine grace brings together the
unmixable and in turn separates it out again, that life and the corpse
cohabit in them, things which are opposites both by nature and in
reality. For where there is passion, they must be corpses and inside
tombs, but where there is supplication to God, they must be robust in
body and vigorous in strength even if they have passed beyond youth.
And in them the two lives are so interwoven that |32] in fact, while
rejecting the flesh completely, they both continually live and consort
with the living, applying remedies to bodies and conveying the voices of
suppliants to God; they conduct themselves in other respects just like
their earlier existence, except they do not lack essentials and are not
circumscribed in place - rather they listen to everyone and associate
with everyone. They perform frequent and uninterrupted bendings of
knees and earnest risings, with zeal alone rekindling in them their youth
and voluntary weakness; they are like bodiless athletes, bloodless wres¬
tlers, who consider the fast as complete banquet and indulgence and the
ability to taste nothing as a satiating spread. Whenever a stranger
comes among them, even if at dawn, in turn they welcome him with
such hospitality and affection, considering eating when they do not wish
as another form of fasting; hence the matter is a marvel, that, when in
need of so much for self-sufficient nourishment, they thus have quite
sufficient in a short time. Enemies of their personal wishes and nature,
they are surrendered to the wills of those at hand, in order that the plea¬
sure of the flesh may be constantly thrust away by them and the soul
might give direction by selecting with discrimination and preserving the
finest things and those pleasing to God. They are blessed in their life
here, but more blessed in their removal from here, for which they
constantly yearn in eagerness to see the one whom they desire.
22 Now, after the spouse of Theodosius had conversed with many such
men and, as has been said by me, had founded many such monasteries
and, furthermore, had also restored the walls of Jerusalem to a better
state, she also raised up a very great sanctuary of Stephen the first
deacon and martyr, outstanding in size and beauty, not one stade
distant from Jerusalem; she too was placed in this after she departed to
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK I
53
the life without age. 186 After these things, or indeed as some think before
Eudocia, Theodosius too passed from one kingdom to another, 187 | 33 ]
and the most excellent Marcian, who had served this man for 38
years, 188 assumed the Roman realm. And so what was done by him
during his leadership of the East, the subsequent history will set out
exceedingly clearly, if the help from on high furnishes its particular
favour.
End of 1st book of the Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius.
186 The best-known ascetics with whom Eudocia was in contact were Melania the
Younger, Barsauma the Syrian, the abbot Euthymius, and Symeon Stylites the Elder. For
her monastic foundations, cf. n. 179 above, and Malalas 357:21-358:1 for the rebuilding of
Jerusalem’s walls. The church of Stephen was still unfinished when it was dedicated on 15
June 460, but Euthymius had already prophesied her death and she was in a hurry to tidy up
her affairs (Life of Euthymius 35); she died on 20 October 460.
187 Theodosius died on 28 July 450, a decade before Eudocia. Although Malalas did not
explicitly record Eudocia’s death, the fact that he mentioned her dying oath in the context of
the accusation of adultery with Paulinus (358:3—4) would have implied that she predeceased
her husband.
188 There is a minor textual problem over the case of StaiKovr|a6i|i£vog, ‘served’ (nomi¬
native, agreeing with Marcian) which is the reading of one fourteenth-century MS ( Baroc-
cianus 142). Other MSS read SiaivOvr|cra|i£vriv (accusative, which makes no sense). Editors
have emended this either to the genitive Sio:Kovr|aoc|i£vou (masculine, agreeing with Theo¬
dosius with pczaiXsioiv ‘kingdom’ as object; but this does not represent his 42 regnal years
and leaves rourtj), ‘this man’, unintelligible) or to 8taKovr|aoip£vr|<; (feminine, agreeing with
Eudocia; almost correct for the period between her imperial marriage and her death, but
wrong for the period of her 28-year marriage to Theodosius and in any case the notion of
the empress ‘serving’ her husband is strange). Thurmayr, Studien 48-9, and Festugiere 233-
4, n. 97 (independently) justified the nominative. I follow their interpretation, though not
without qualms. It should be noted that the Baroccianus reads xoutcov (genitive plural) for
the grammatically correct dative lohxq) (a scribe perhaps assumed that Marcian should
have served both emperor and empress, and did not know the correct case to use). Also,
although ‘exchange kingdoms’ is used elsewhere to describe imperial death (ii.8, of
Marcian) so that ‘pass from one kingdon to another’ seems a likely conceit, the word order
is strained by this reconstruction. Marcian was born in 396, and enrolled in the army as an
ordinary soldier, so presumably at a young age and perhaps as early as 412, which would
give him 38 years in imperial service.
[34] THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF THE SECOND
BOOK OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS
1. Concerning Emperor Marcian, and what signs came previously
to predict imperial rule for him.
2. Concerning the Synod at Chalcedon, and what was the origin of
the gathering.
3. Description of the house of prayer of the martyr Euphemia
which is at Chalcedon, and an account of the wonders which occur in it.
4. Concerning what was set in motion and defined at the Synod,
and that Dioscorus of Alexandria was deposed while Theodoret and
Ibas and certain others were recalled.
5. Concerning the unrest which occurred at Alexandria, as a result
of the election of Proterius, similarly too at Jerusalem.
6. Concerning the drought which occurred, and famine and
plague; how in certain regions the earth miraculously brought forth fruits.
7. Concerning the murder of Valentinian and Rome’s capture;
and concerning others who ruled it.
8. Concerning the death of Marcian and the reign of Leo; and that
the heretics at Alexandria slew Proterius, and transferred the arch¬
bishopric to Timothy Aelurus.
9. Concerning the Encyclicals of Emperor Leo.
|35] 10. Concerning what the bishops and Symeon on the column
responded.
11. Concerning the exile of Timothy Aelurus and the election of
Timothy Salophaciolus, and concerning Gennadius and Acacius of
Constantinople.
12. Concerning the earthquake which occurred at Antioch, 347
years after that under Trajan.
13. Concerning the fire at Constantinople.
14. Concerning universal misfortunes.
15. Concerning the marriage of Zeno and Ariadne.
16. Concerning Emperor Anthemius of Rome, and those who ruled
after him.
56
EVAGRIUS
17. Concerning the death of Leo, and the reign of Leo the Younger,
and then of his father Zeno.
18. Epitome of what was set in motion at the Synod at Chalcedon,
which is placed at the end of the second Book.
CHAPTERS OF THE SECOND BOOK OF THE
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF EVAGRIUS THE
EX-PREFECT OF EPIPHANIA 1
1. Concerning Emperor Marcian, and what came before to predict
imperial rule for him.
2. Concerning the Synod at Chalcedon, and whence Anatolius had
the origin of the gathering.
3. Description of the house of prayer of the holy Euphemia, and an
account of the wonders which occur in it.
4. Concerning the objects of strife and definition at Chalcedon.
5. Concerning the unrest which occurred at Alexandria, as a result
of the election of Proterius, similarly too at Jerusalem.
6. Concerning the drought which occurred, and famine and plague.
7. Concerning the murder of Valentinian and Rome’s capture; and
concerning others who ruled it.
8. Concerning the election of Timothy Aelurus and the death of
Proterius and what was written by Leo concerning him.
9. Concerning the Encyclicals of Leo.
10. Concerning what the bishops and Symeon on the column
responded.
11. Concerning the exile of Timothy and the election of the other
Timothy, and of Gennadius and Acacius of Constantinople.
12. Concerning Antioch’s earthquake, 347 years after that under
Trajan.
13. Concerning the fire at Constantinople.
14. Concerning universal misfortunes.
15. Concerning the marriage of Zeno and Ariadne.
1 Bidez-Parmentier (34-5) present this list, which is preserved in Laurentianus 70, as
(hough it was a variant version of that in Laurentianus 79, Patmiacus 688 and Baroccianus
142. But this list begins ‘Chapters’ (KBcjjaXaia), just as the lists for Books ii and iii in Laur¬
entianus 70, and is also slightly briefer than the alternative. For these reasons it deserves to
be presented separately.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
57
16. Concerning Emperor Anthemius of Rome, and those who ruled
after him.
17. Concerning the death of Leo, and the reign of Leo the Younger.
18. Concerning the reign of Zeno and the death of his son Leo.
|36| BOOK II OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS OF EPIPHANIA, SCHOLASTICUS AND
EX-PREFECT
1 What happened in the time of Theodosius has been treated in the first
book. Well then, 1 let us bring Marcian the celebrated Roman emperor
to the fore, and first narrate who he was and whence and how he secured
the empire of the Romans; let us thus expound at the appropriate times
what happened under him. 2
Now Marcian, as narrated by many others and especially by Priscus
the rhetor, was of Thracian descent, the child of a military man; in his
eagerness to take up the livelihood of his father he had made a start for
Philippopolis, 3 where he could be enrolled in the military regiments. On
the way he observed a newly slain body that was lying on the ground; he
approached this, since in addition to his absolute excellence in other
respects he was particularly compassionate, he lamented what had
happened and for a long time suspended his journey, as he wished to
bestow the appropriate rites. But when some people observed this they
informed the officials in Philippopolis, who arrested Marcian and inter¬
rogated him about the murder. And then, while conjectures and prob¬
abilities were prevailing over the truth and his story, as he was denying
the man’s killing and |37| was on the point of paying penalty for
murder, a sudden divine intervention delivered up the murderer. 4 This
man, by laying aside his head in punishment for the deed, granted
1 A common way of introducing a new topic: cf. i.15 (Synesius). Allen, Evagrius 96, ap¬
positely comments on the legal flavour of the introduction, and compares i.7 (see i n. 67
above); there is also an epic flavour to the ‘who... whence ... how’ sequence.
2 Cf. i.l, p. 6:32-3, for 'the appropriate times’.
3 Modern Plovdiv, an important city on the main highway from Constantinople across
the Balkans to the middle Danube and a convenient centre for recruiting the inhabitants of
the Rhodope and Stara Planina mountain ranges.
4 For a similar miracle, cf. Letter to Cosmos 14, where a corpse is resuscitated at the
tomb of Nestorius, thereby saving John, who guarded the tomb, from an accusation of
murder.
58
EVAGRIUS
Marcian his head. 5 When he had thus been unexpectedly saved he came
to one of the military units there, wishing to enlist in it. In admiration
for the man and correctly judging that he would be great and most
eminent, they accepted him gladly and enrolled him among their own
number, not at the bottom, as military law demands, but at a rank of a
man who had recently died, whose name was Augustus, writing
‘Marcian who is also Augustus’ in the register. Hence the name antici¬
pated the appellation of our emperors, in that they are called Augusti on
being invested with the purple. As if the name did not tolerate remaining
with him without the rank, nor yet in turn did the rank seek another
name for enhancement, so his personal name and appellation were estab¬
lished as the same, since rank and public appellation were indicated
through a single term. 6
And something else perchanced which can indicate Marcian’s
imperial position. For when he accompanied Aspar on campaign
against the Vandals he became a captive along with many others, after
Aspar had been heavily defeated by the Vandals; he was led across a
plain with the other prisoners, since Geiseric wanted to see those who
had been enslaved. 7 When they had been assembled, Geiseric sat in one
of the upper rooms, taking pleasure in the quantity of those who had
been netted. As time passed, they acted as each thought best, since the
guards had undone their bonds on Geiseric’s instructions. And so each
behaved in different ways. But Marcian lay down on the plain and went
5 Cf. v. 11 for Divine Providence protecting Tiberius. For word play in imperial descrip¬
tions, cf. vi.l with n. 1 below.
6 For full references on Marcian, see PLRE II. 714-15, j. v. Marcianus 8. The explanation
for Marcian’s advancement was, perhaps, that his father was a soldier who had died in
action: in 594 Maurice enacted that such orphans be enrolled at their father’s rank, up to
that of biarchus, and there was certainly comparable earlier legislation: Jones, LRE 675.
The use of Augustus as a personal name is very rare (only one instance in PLRE). There is
no parallel for the story, and Festugiere (238 n. 2) suggested that it might have been invented
by Evagrius; certainly the sententious comment about the name Augustus is typical of Eva-
grius’ style.
Such omens and predictions of imperial succession are common: cf. v.21 (with notes) for
Maurice, or Life of Eutychius 66-9 for predictions about Justin II, Tiberius and Maurice.
7 The Vandals crossed into Africa in May 429 and rapidly achieved sweeping successes
against the Romans under Boniface, who was besieged in Hippo; in 431 Aspar led an
eastern army to rescue Boniface, but was defeated. Aspar remained in Africa until 434 and
probably arranged the treaty of February 435, which ceded to the Vandals Mauretania and
Ihe western part of Numidia in return for tribute. Marcian was Aspar’s domesticus, a com¬
bination of bodyguard, attendant and adviser.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
59
to sleep in the sun, which was hot and fiery, out of keeping with the season
of the year; 8 but an eagle stationed itself up above and making its flight
antithetical to the sun in the vertical axis, like a cloud devised shade and
hence relief 1381 for Marcian. In amazement Geiseric correctly conjec¬
tured the future; he had Marcian summoned and released him from
captivity, after confirming with strong oaths that after coming to the
kingship he would indeed preserve the agreements with the Vandals and
would not mobilize arms against them. And Procopius narrates that
Marcian preserved this in practice. 9 But, let us abandon the digression
and return to the matter in hand.
Marcian was pious in divine matters and just in matters relating to his
subjects. 10 He regarded as wealth not what was stored away, nor indeed
what was collected by tax-gatherers but one thing alone; the ability to
provide for the needy and to make their wealth secure for those with
substantial property. 11 He was not terrifying in punishment, but in
8 Procopius, who also records this miracle (Wars iii.4.1-11), states that this occurred in
summer, at midday, so that Evagrius has improved the nature of the miracle. It is likely that
Priscus was the ultimate source for this story. Monophysite writers recorded hostile predic¬
tions of Martian's reign: an old monk said that the impious emperor Marcian would force
bishops to deny that the crucified one was God, a symbolic darkness covered the earth at his
accession, while an abbot predicted twenty years in advance that Marcian would lead the
bishops away from God and the Antichrist would arrive soon after the end of his reign
(Rufus, Plerophories 7,12).
9 In addition to this miracle (104:19-105:4) Theophanes also records another version,
associated with the Persian war of 421/2, when the shadowing eagle was observed in Lycia
by the brothers Tatianus and Julius, who had cared for Marcian during an illness (103:33-
104:19).
There are other explanations for Martian's failure to fight the Vandals while emperor, for
example the chaos in the Balkans caused by Attila in the 440s, and the danger of further
Hunnic attacks, though Blockley, Historians I. 66, is probably right to detect an attempt
by writers favourable to Marcian to excuse his inaction.
10 As the emperor responsible for Chalcedon, Marcian evoked diametrically opposite
assessments from ecclesiastical writers: for a summary of views, see Allen, Evagrius 97-8.
For praise of other favourite emperors of Evagrius, cf. v.13 (Tiberius) and vi.l (Maurice).
11 In 447 Attila’s demands for subsidies had led Theodosius to increase taxation, and the
pitiful plight of senatorial families forced to contribute is described by Priscus (fr. 9.3:22-33)
and Nestorius (Bazaar 341-2). The fact that Attila had turned his attentions west allowed
Marcian to take a hard line with the Huns and withhold payments. As a result tax concessions
were possible, which particularly benefited senators through the abolition of th e follis or col-
latioglebalis( a surtax on senators introduced by Constantine: Zosimus ii.38.4) and the termi¬
nation of lavish expenditure on magisterial games; tax arrears for the years 43 7^47 were also
remitted, which would have helped a rather wider section of the population (Jones, LRE 219).
60
EVAGRIUS
advance of punishment; accordingly he held the realm as a prize of
virtue, not an inheritance, after the senate and others who filled every
position had provided the imperial power to him unanimously, on the
advice of Pulcheria. Her indeed he took to wife as empress, but he did
not have intercourse and she remained a perpetual virgin until old age. 12
This happened even though Valentinian the emperor of Rome had not
yet ratified the election; still, when he had confirmed the vote on
account of Marcian’s virtue, Marcian wished that a common worship
be given to God by everyone, once the voices that had been muddled
through impiety were again piously united, and that the Divinity should
be glorified through one and the same creed. 13
2 Now while he was deliberating on these matters, the men acting on the
instructions of Leo the bishop of elder Rome approached him, saying
that at the Second Synod at Ephesus Dioscorus had not accepted the
Tome of Leo, which was a definition of orthodoxy; 14 so too did those
For Marcian’s generosity, cf. Georgius Monachus ii. 611:12-17, and for other praise of im¬
perial generosity, Evagrius v. 13, p. 209:14-26 (Tiberius).
12 Holum, Empresses 208-9, accepted the importance of Pulcheria’s role in the succes¬
sion, but, in an exhaustive analysis of the sources, Burgess ('Accession’) has argued that she
was no more than a pawn whom Aspar exploited. Although it would be surprising if Aspar
did not have a hand in the elevation of his former domesticus (cf. Zuckerman, ‘tfuns’ 176),
quite possibly in collaboration with the magister militum Zeno (Lee, ‘Empire’ 43), Burgess’
scepticism seems excessive: an Augusta could take the initiative in a dynastic crisis (cf.
Ariadne in 491, or Sophia in 574), and an unconsummated marriage need not have been
regarded as totally abnormal in a devout Christian context; further, the one-month inter¬
regnum between Theodosius’ death on 28 July and Marcian’s proclamation on 25 August is
not suspicious, since the empire was legally under the sole rule of Valentinian III (there was
a five-month ‘gap’ between the death of Valens and the proclamation of Theodosius I).
Rufus, Plerophories 3, records a vision of the priest Pelagius that Pulcheria would be un¬
faithful both to orthodoxy (through promoting Chalcedon) and to her vow of virginity.
13 Valentinian, senior Augustus after Theodosius’ death, was not consulted about the
succession. Evagrius hints at a link between Marcian’s organization of the Council of Chal¬
cedon, which was to uphold the views of Pope Leo, and his official recognition by the West in
452. The Monophysite tradition naturally exploited the technical illegality of Marcian’s
accession: John of Nikiu 87.36; Michael the Syrian viii.9, II. p. 36.
14 There are several letters from Leo to Marcian complaining about Second Ephesus:
ACO Il.i.l, no. 12 (pp. 25:7-27:18); II.iv.39, 41, 47; the people responsible for delivering
the letter may have been the presbyters Faustus and Martin, who were representing the
Pope’s interests in Constantinople in 450, or perhaps one of the numerous messengers who
travelled between Pope and imperial court in 450/1, e.g. the presbyter Boniface or the agens
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
61
who, insulted by the same Dioscorus, petition that the accusations
against them |39] should be judged by a synod. 15 Eusebius, who had
been prelate of Dorylaeum, was particularly insistent, saying that he
and Flavian had been deposed by the machinations of Chrysaphius, the
bodyguard of Theodosius, on the grounds that when Chrysaphius had
demanded gold Flavian had at his own appointment sent him sacred
vessels to humiliate him, and that Chrysaphius stood very close to
Eutyches in terms of heresy. 16 He said that Flavian had also been wretch¬
edly slain by being shoved and kicked by Dioscorus. 17 As a result of this
the Synod at Chalcedon was convened, after messages and message-
bearers had been sent and priests from all parts were summoned by
sacred missives; 18 initially it was to be at Nicaea - thus indeed Leo, the
prelate of Rome, wrote to those who had assembled at Nicaea, when he
corresponded with them concerning the men whom he had sent in his
own place, Pascasianus, Lucensius and others 19 - but subsequently it
was held at Chalcedon in the province of Bithynia. 20
in refew.sTheoctistusfPL-R-EII. 1066, .s.v. Theoctistus2). Zachariah(iii.l, p. 42) also refers to
letters of Leo which commended Theodoret to Marcian and Pulcheria.
15 For the proceedings of Second Ephesus, which Dioscorus had controlled, see i.10
above, with notes. Theodoret of Cyrrhus was the most prominent of the deposed bishops.
16 For Chrysaphius, the spatharius and cubicularius (bodyguard and chamberlain) of
Theodosius II, see i. n. 81 above. Gregory (Fox 155 n. 19) speculated that hostility between
Chrysaphius and Flavian predated the latter’s appointment as patriarch of Constantinople.
Theophanes, 98:11-18, has a similar story in which Chrysaphius persuaded the emperor to
demand a golden present from the patriarch, and Nestorius, Bazaar 341-2, states that
Flavian actually had to melt down the church plate to satisfy an insulting demand for
money from Theodosius II.
17 Although Flavian was beaten up after being deposed at Second Ephesus in August
449 (Bazaar 361-2), he did not die until after leaving the Council for his journey into exile.
For full discussion, and the speculation that Flavian may not have died until February 450
(perhaps with the connivance of the new Constantinopolitan patriarch, Anatolius), see
Chadwick, ‘Exile’.
18 The technical term for imperial letters, litterae sacrae.
19 .4091111, no. 17, pp. 31-2.
20 Nicaea was the original choice of venue to recall the First Ecumenical Council, whose
decisions were now supposed to be ratified by another meeting under close imperial control.
Marcian next ordered the move to Chalcedon to bring the bishops nearer to Constantino¬
ple, where urgent public business was detaining the emperor (ACO Il.i.l, no. 14; pp. 28:10-
29:3). Marcian then excused himself further on the grounds that events in Illyricum forced
him to make an expedition there, though he promised not to undertake further trips (ACO
Il.i.l, no. 16; p. 30). Marcian’s departure from the capital is cited as a rare example of an
62
EVAGRIUS
Zacharias the rhetor indeed, through bias, says that even Nestorius
was summoned from his exile. But the fact that Nestorius was consis¬
tently anathematized by the Synod demonstrates that this was not the
case. 21 This is also quite clearly revealed by Eustathius, the bishop of
Beirut, writing in these words to a bishop John and to another John, an
elder, concerning what had been transacted at the Synod: Those who
sought the remains of Nestorius objected once again and shouted
against the Synod, “Why are the saints anathematized?” The result was
that the emperor in anger instructed the guardsmen to drive them far
away.’ 22 So, how Nestorius was invited when he had migrated from this
world, I cannot say.
3 Accordingly they convened at the holy precinct of the martyr
Euphemia, 23 which is situated at the city of the Chalcedonians in the
imperial military campaign (e.g. Kaegi, Unrest 20), but Attila was currently invading Gaul
with his Huns and there is no record of any other military crisis; the mission may have been
to resolve administrative matters (cf. Theodosius’ visit to Asia in 443).
Concern about the maintenance of order at Nicaea may also have been a factor in the
move: in a letter to the governor of Bithynia, Pulcheria refers to a report that trouble¬
makers, laymen as well as clergy and monks, were gathering to disrupt proceedings, and
Marcian specifically reassured the bishops that the partisans of Eutyches woud not be
allowed to influence the Council (ACO Il.i.l, pp. 29:17-29; 30:21-9).
Michael Ihe Syrian (viii.10, II. p. 39) states that an earthquake prevented the Council
from meeting at Nicaea; Zachariah, less specifically, that Providence was responsible (iii.l,
p. 43); in each case divine disapproval of the choice of Nicaea for a ‘heretical’ gathering is
indicated.
21 Evagrius is slightly imprecise: Zachariah (iii.l, p. 42) stated that Marcian sent a mes¬
senger to recall Nestorius, but the latter died when he was setting out (cf. i. n. 77 above); the
fact that Nestorius was anathematized at Chalcedon does not disprove this earlier imperial
initiative, since Marcian presumably intended to allow the exiled patriarch a chance to
present his case.
22 Eustathius of Beirut had been one of the leaders at Second Ephesus, and was threa¬
tened with punishment at Chalcedon; Zachariah (iii.l, p. 47) records that Eustathius anno¬
tated his subscription to the Acts of Chalcedon to the effect that he was signing under
compulsion (Allen, Evagrius 100, incorrectly describes him as a diphysite), so it is not sur¬
prising that he recorded anti-Nestorian actions. His correspondents are unknown. Again,
ihe evidence does not support Evagrius’ assertion: indeed, the demand for the return of his
remains would make more sense if Marcian had recalled Nestorius from exile.
23 Euphemia, a native of Chalcedon, died in the persecution of Diocletian or Galerius.
Asterius of Amasea described a painting of her martyrdom which was on display in the
church (translation in Mango, Art 37-9).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
63
Bithynian province, but is distant no more than two stades from the
Bosporus, 24 on a gentle incline in pleasant country, so that the progression
is imperceptible |40| for those setting out for the martyr’s church - and
suddenly on arriving inside the sanctuary they are high up. As a result
the gaze stretches out from a viewing point to contemplate everything,
plains lying below, level and outspread, green with grass, waving with
crops and beautified by the prospect of all kinds of trees, thicketed moun¬
tains rising pleasingly and curving to a height, as well as varying seas,
now purple in calm, playing sweet and gentle on the shores where the
place is windless, now spluttering and angry with waves, drawing back
pebbles and seaweed and the lighter shellfish with the waves’ backwash. 25
The precinct is opposite Constantinople, so that the church is also beauti¬
fied by the prospect of so great a city. The precinct consists of three huge
structures: one is open-air, adorned with a long court and columns on all
sides, and another in turn after this is almost alike in breadth and length
and columns but differing only in the roof above. 26 On its northern side
towards the rising sun there stands a circular dwelling with a rotunda,
encircled on the interior with columns fashioned with great skill, alike in
material and alike in magnitude. By these an upper part is raised aloft
under the same roof, so that from there it is possible for those who wish
both to supplicate the martyr and to be present at the services. 27 Inside
24 The precise location of the church is unknown: for discussion, see Schneider, ‘Euphe-
mia’, who places it to the north of Chalcedon itself. It was already in existence by the late
fourth century, when it was visited by the pilgrim Egeria ( Travels 23.7).
25 Evagrius exploits the allusion to the view from the church to display his literary skill
by introducing an ecphrasis , though the extended description also provides a suitably grand
introduction to the account of the Council of Chalcedon. For ecphrases of a beautiful loca¬
tion, cf. Procopius, Buildings i.5.7-13 (the Bosporus with its wooded shores and meadows,
and the Golden Horn whose calm contrasts with the more turbulent conditions in the Bos¬
porus), Paul the Silentiary, Ecphrasis 289-95 (the beauties of the earth), and Theophylact
ii.l 1.4-8 (Sabulente Canalion). Evagrius had probably visited the famous shrine, and
perhaps even witnessed Euphemia’s miraculous effusions, but this general description of
nature is too rhetorical to be taken as definitive proof (contra Allen, Evagrius 100).
26 This description indicates that the main part of the church was an aisled basilica, pre¬
ceded by a large atrium, comparable to the design of old S. Peter’s at Rome, and (probably)
of churches of the Constantinian dynasty at Constantinople (e.g. S. Mocius). The analysis of
Allen, Evagrius 100-101, conflates the basilica and rotunda.
27 The circular martyrion was presumably built over the actual site of Euphemia’s death
or burial, and the main part of the church had then to be accommodated to its location (for
discussion of the organization of martyr churches, see Mango, Architecture 44-6). Schnei¬
der, ‘Euphemia’ 298, inferred that the main church must have had a transept for the altar to
64
EVAGRIUS
the rotunda, towards the east, is a well-proportioned shrine, where the all¬
holy remains of the martyr lie in a lengthy coffin - some call it a sarco¬
phagus 28 - which is very skilfully fashioned from silver.
And the miracles performed by the all-holy lady at certain times are
manifest to all Christians. For often, appearing as a dream to those who
at the time were bishops of the said city, or even to some who were in
other ways distinguished in their life, she orders them to attend on her
and harvest a vintage at the precinct. |41| Whenever this became known
to the emperors and the archbishop and the city, those who direct the
sceptres and the sacred rites and the offices throng to the church along
with all the remaining multitude, in their wish to participate in the cele¬
brations. Then while everyone is watching, the prelate of the city of
Constantine with his attendant priests goes inside the sanctuary where
lies the all-holy body, as I have already mentioned. There is a small
opening in the said coffin, on the left side, secured with small doors;
through this they send in towards the all-holy remains a lengthy iron
rod on which they have fastened a sponge; after turning the sponge
around they draw back the iron towards themselves, filled with blood
and numerous clots. Whenever the populace beholds this, it forthwith
does obeisance, reverencing God. So great is the quantity of what is
brought forth that both the pious emperors and all the assembled priests
and furthermore the whole populace gathered together share richly in
the distributions, 29 and it is sent forth throughout the whole wide world
to those of the faithful who want it, and both the clots and the all-holy
blood are preserved for ever, in no way changing to a different appear¬
ance. These matters are celebrated in a manner befitting God, not
according to a certain fixed cycle but as the life of the presiding priest
and the gravity of his habits wishes. And so men say that when an
honourable person, distinguished for virtues, is at the helm this miracle
have been visible from the martyrion’s gallery. The building was quite large since it was used
for the third session of the Council, at which over 200 bishops plus the necessary attendants
(e.g. translators) were present (ACO II.i.2, pp. 3-8).
28 The sense is correctly explained by Schneider, ‘Euphemia’ 298 n. 32, taking ponvpa as a
contraction for paKTpa (cf. Lampe .s.v.). Bidez-Parmentier, unaware of this sense and re¬
garding the translation ‘long’ as banal, cite Valesius’ emendation ctpKav (Ark) as probable,
but this is unnecessary. The sarcophagus was presumably contained within a ciborium.
29 Theophylact, who also describes the miraculous effusion (viii.14.3—5), says that the
blood was distributed to the crowds in little glass vessels.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
65
indeed happens particularly frequently, but that when it is not someone
of this type such divine signs proceed rarely. 30 And I will tell of some¬
thing which neither time nor occasion interrupts, nor indeed is there a
distinction between believers and unbelievers, but it is sent forth for all
equally. Whenever anyone comes here to the place where there is the
precious coffin in which are the all-holy remains, he is filled with a
fragrant odour beyond any familiar to men. For it is not like that gath¬
ered in meadows, nor indeed that emitted from one of the most fragrant
things, nor yet such as a perfumer would create, but it is strange and |42|
extraordinary, presenting through itself the power of its origins. 31
4 Here convened the Synod that I have already mentioned, 32 with the
bishops Pascasinus and Lucensius and the presbyter Boniface, as I have
30 Theophylact states that the effusion occurred annually, on Euphemia’s feast day (16
September), and the predictability of the occurrence is presupposed by the story he relates of
the Emperor Maurice’s sceptical investigation of the miracle (viii. 14.6 9): the shrine was
stripped of its silver ornament and the grave placed under seal, but blood still gushed forth
on the appointed day. See Gregoire, ‘Euphemie’.
Such effusions were popular (cf. the martyr Glyceria at Heracleia), and shrines were
under pressure to oblige: (he mechanics have been discovered in the church of Demetrius
at Thessalonica, where a system of pipes was installed at some point between the seventh
and ninth centuries (Soteriou, BA1IAIKH 51-5).
31 A sweet smell was a sure sign of holiness; cf. Sozomen ix.2.13-14 for perfume reveal¬
ing the location of lost relics. Theophylact notes that Euphemia’s effusions contained
certain natural aromatics (viii. 14.5). The shrine of Sergius at Resafa had a basin for per¬
fumed oil that possessed curative powers: Fowden, Plain 85-6.
32 After the digression about the Church of Euphemia, Evagrius resumes the narrative
from the start of chapter 3. The full sessions of the Council of Chalcedon, which might have
been attended by over 600 bishops or their deputies (numbers discussed in Hefele-Leclercq,
II. 669; Honigmann, ‘Members’) plus secular officials and attendants, as well as the imperial
couple on occasion, were held in the main church, the second of Evagrius’ structures,
though the third session, at which the bishops alone dealt with the case of Dioscorus, took
place in the martyrion. Zonaras records a story that the martyrion was also used to adjudi¬
cate between the rival doctrinal formulae (xiii.25.3-16): each side produced a document
setting out its views and these were placed inside Euphemia’s coffin; after three days the
‘orthodox’ document of Anatolius was found in the martyr’s right hand, while that of Dios¬
corus was at her feet. The story arose from the doctrinal negotiations conducted by Anato¬
lius between 17 and 22 October which produced the Chalcedonian definition.
There is a clear narrative of proceedings by Bardy in Fliche and Martin, IV. 228^10; see
also Gray, Defense ch. 2. Evagrius presents a selective paraphrase of the acta of Chalcedon:
this concentrates on (he reversal of the incorrect decisions of Second Ephesus, the deposi¬
tion of Dioscorus, and the acceptance of a new doctrinal Formula which fully accorded with
the Council of Nicaea and Cyril of Alexandria’s views. Citation of documents validates the
66
EVAGRIUS
said, deputizing for Leo, archbishop of the elder Rome, 33 with Anatolius,
who was prelate of the city of Constantine, Dioscorus, Bishop of the Alex¬
andrians’ city, Maximus of Antioch and Juvenal of Jerusalem. Present
with them were their attendant priests and those who occupy the
eminences of the exalted senate. 34 To these Leo’s deputies said that Dios¬
corus ought not to be seated among them: for this had been enjoined on
them by their own Bishop Leo, and if they did not secure this, they would
withdraw from the church. And when the senate enquired what in fact
were the accusations against Dioscorus, they stated that he ought to
render an account of his own judgement, since he had improperly
assumed the guise of judge. 35 After this had been said and when Dioscorus
had been seated in the central place by a vote of the senate, Eusebius
demanded that the petition that had been presented by him to the
emperor should be read out, saying as follows, word for word: ‘I have
been wronged by Dioscorus, the faith has been wronged. Bishop Flavian
was murdered and together with me was unjustly deposed by him;
command that my petitions be read out.’ When this had been resolved,
the petition obtained a reading, being expressed in the following phrases: 36
From Eusebius, the most lowly bishop of Dorylaeum, who is
making the speech on behalf of himself, and of the orthodox
presentation. The much longer version of the acta appended to this Book (ii. 18) covers the
same ground, with citation of some of the same material, but with much more attention
devoted to Dioscorus, both the disrupted proceedings at Second Ephesus, which he had
controlled, and his obstinate refusal to respond to the summons of the bishops at Chalcedon
(cf. n. 153 below).
33 Pascasinus, Bishop of Lilybaeum in Sicily, was the leader of the Roman delegation;
Lucensius was bishop of Herculanum or Asculanum.
34 The acta of Chalcedon begin with an impressive list of nineteen distinguished officials,
or former officials, who were present (ACO Il.i, pp. 55:7-56:1), headed by the magister
militum (probably praesentalis ) Anatolius, followed by the praetorian prefect Palladius,
Ihe city prefect Tatian, the magister officiorum Vincomalus, the comes domesticorum Spor-
acius, and the comes rei privatae Genethlius. The patrician Nomus, former magister offi¬
ciorum and consul who is tenth in the list, had been associated with Chrysaphius in 449 as
a prominent supporter of Eutyches.
This is Evagrius’ first mention of Patriarch Anatolius who had succeeded Flavian in 449;
for his silence, cf. i n. 96 above.
35 The first session of the Council, held on 8 October; ACO Il.i, pp. 65:17-66:9.
36 ACO Il.i, pp. 66:10-22; the petition was read out by the secretary Veronicianus. The
opening address to the emperors Valentinian and Marcian is omitted, and a few minor
divergences are noted in Bidez-Parmentier’s apparatus.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
67
faith and of Flavian, the former bishop of Constantinople, who is
with the saints.
It is an objective of your might to take forethought for all sub¬
jects and to stretch out a hand to all who are wronged, |43| but
especially to those who minister in the priesthood. For in this
indeed is served the Divinity by whom the imperial power and
rule over human affairs is granted to you. Accordingly, since the
faith in Christ and we ourselves have suffered many outrages con¬
trary to all due order from Dioscorus, the most devout bishop of
the metropolis of the Alexandrians, we are approaching your
piety asking to obtain justice.
The facts of the matter are as follows: at the Synod which re¬
cently occurred at the metropolis of the Ephesians - would
indeed that it had never occurred, so that it did not fill the whole
world with evils and confusion - the good Dioscorus, 37 setting at
nought consideration of justice and fear of God, being of the
same doctrine and the same mind as the foolish-minded and here¬
tical Eutyches, as he subsequently revealed himself, but being un¬
detected by the multitude, using as an opportunity the
accusation made by me against Eutyches, his fellow in doctrine,
and the sentence brought against him by Bishop Flavian of holy
estate, after assembling a multitude of unruly crowds and furnish¬
ing strength for himself through money, he polluted the pious
worship of the orthodox, as far as was in his power, and corrobo¬
rated the false doctrine of Eutyches the monk, which had from
before and from the beginning been repudiated by the holy
Fathers. 38 Accordingly, since his affronts against the faith in
Christ and against us are not minor, we request and prostrate our¬
selves before your might to decree that the same most devout
Bishop Dioscorus should make a defence against our accusations
against him: namely that when the records of what had been
done by him against us are read out at the holy Synod, by means
of these we can reveal that he is indeed alienated from the ortho¬
dox faith, that he fortified a heresy which is filled with impiety,
37 Ironical, though the descriptions of Dioscorus as ‘most devout' are standard titula-
ture (Festugiere 246 n. 28).
38 At the local Synod at Constantinople in 448 (see i.9 with n. 87 above), Eutyches was
convicted of not accepting the Nicene doctrine of consubstantiality.
68
EVAGRIUS
and that he unjustly deposed us and |44| effected terrible things on
us; we will do this once your sacred and adored instructions are
sent to the holy and ecumenical Synod of the bishops, most
beloved by God, to the effect that they should listen carefully to
us and the aforesaid Dioscorus, and refer all the transactions to
the cognizance of your piety, in accordance with the opinion of
your immortal supremacy. And if we obtain this we shall send
up incessant prayers on behalf of your eternal might, most
sacred emperors.
After this, by common petition of Dioscorus and Eusebius the trans¬
actions in the second conclave in Ephesus were read out in public. 39 As
for the detailed version of these, which is extended at great length but
also encompassed in the proceedings at Chalcedon, I have appended
this to the present book of the history, lest I seem to be long-winded to
those who are eager for the end of the events; 40 thereby I have given an
opportunity to those who wish to know everything minutely both to
peruse them and to form an accurate impression of everything. But, to
run over more important matters, I state that Dioscorus was discovered
to have rejected the letter of Leo, the bishop of elder Rome, and in addi¬
tion on a single day to have effected the deposition of Flavian, the
bishop of New Rome, after arranging for the assembled bishops to
subscribe to a blank sheet that actually contained the deposition of
Flavian. For these reasons the men of the senatorial council decreed as
follows: 41
Concerning the orthodox and universal faith we resolve to make a
more precise investigation on the next day when the assembly is
more complete. 42 But as for Flavian of pious memory and
39 ACO Il.i.l, p. 67:20-6.
40 A summary of proceedings at Second Ephesus is included at ii.18, pp. 69:25-72:6. Cf.
Zachariah ii.l p. 18, iv.6 p. 73, for apologies for appearing wearisome and omission of ma¬
terial that could readily be found elsewhere.
41 ACO Il.i.l. p. 195:10-24, with some deviations noted in Bidez-Parmentier’s appara¬
tus.
42 The point, perhaps, was that because the reading of the whole of the proceedings of
Second Ephesus, coupled with several interruptions of rival chanting, had taken a very long
time, some bishops had slipped away. Evagrius has omitted Dioscorus’ complaints about
the participation of Theodoret (ACO Il.i.l, pp. 96:28-97:14), though they are included in
the longer summary at ii.18 (pp. 71:29-72:6): Theodoret, though reinstated at Chalcedon,
was not part of the neo-Chalcedonian pantheon, having subsequently been jettisoned by
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
69
Eusebius, the most devout bishop, from examination of what was
done and decided and from the very words of those who were
leaders of the Council then, who stated that they were mistaken
and had deposed those men invalidly, |45| since they are revealed
to have been unjustly deposed in that they committed no error
concerning the faith, in accordance with the pleasure of God it
seems to us to be just, if it is upheld by our most sacred and pious
master, that upon Dioscorus, the most devout bishop of Alexan¬
dria, and Juvenal, the most devout bishop of Jerusalem, and Tha-
lassius, the most devout bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, 43
and Eusebius, the most devout bishop of Armenia, 44 and Eu¬
stathius, the most devout bishop of Beirut, and Basil, the most
devout bishop of Seleucia in Isauria, who had held authority and
were leaders at the Synod then, the same penalty should be in¬
flicted by the holy Synod: in accordance with the canons these
men should be estranged from the dignity of bishop, and all con-
sequentials should be decided by the sacred eminence.
Next, when the depositions against Dioscorus concerning accusa¬
tions and monies had been remitted to another meeting, 45 since Dios¬
corus, though summoned a second and a third time, did not present
Justinian in his Three Chapters initiative (see iv.38 with notes). Evagrius did not want to
draw attention to an issue which might seem to give Dioscorus legitimate grounds for ob¬
jecting to the authority of Chalcedon (cf. n. 69 below).
43 Juvenal and Thalassius had been named in a letter from the Emperor Theodosius as
being certain to share Dioscorus’ zeal for orthodoxy at Second Ephesus (ACO Il.i.l, p.
74:20-21).
44 In fact Bishop of Ankara; the mistake is repeated at p. 73:2, bul Ihe correct see is re¬
corded at p. 87:3.
45 It was in fact the third session of the Council, held on 13 October under the presidency
of Pascasinus, which dealt with Dioscorus (ACO II.i.2, pp. 3-42); the second session, on 10
October, was concerned with the true faith (ACO II.i.2, pp. 69-84). Evagrius reflects the
arrangement of proceedings in the Greek version of the acta, in which material was rear¬
ranged thematically into three sections, the reversal of Second Ephesus, questions of faith
and promulgation of canons, and specific issues (for discussion of the earliest editions of the
acta and changes, see Schwartz in ACO II.i.3, pp. XXII-XXX). The Greek versions of the
acta inverted the second and third sessions, so that the Council’s rejection of Second
Ephesus was kept separate from discussions on matters of faith (Schwartz in ACO II.i.3,
p. XXII; Bardy in Fliche and Martin, IV. 231 n. 2).
70
EVAGRIUS
himself because of pretexts that he had stated, 46 those who deputized for
Leo the bishop of elder Rome declared as follows, in these words: 47
The affronts of Dioscorus, the former bishop of the megalopolis of
the Alexandrians, against the order of the canons and the eccle¬
siastical disposition have become manifest from the investigations
already made in the first session and from what has been done
today. For this man, to leave aside most matters, acting on his
own authority and contrary to the canons, received into commu¬
nion Eutyches, his fellow in doctrine, who had been canonically
deposed by his very own bishop - by whom we mean our father
among the saints, Bishop Flavian - before he had attended the
Synod in the city of the Ephesians with the bishops beloved of
God. But |46| to the latter the apostolic see accorded pardon for
what had been done there by them that was not of their intention:
these men indeed have to the present continued subservient to the
most holy archbishop Leo and the whole holy and ecumenical
Synod, for which reason he also received them into his communion
as fellows in faith. But this man has persisted even to the present to
be arrogant in those matters for which he ought to lament and to
have bowed his head to the ground. In addition to this, he did not
even concede that the letter of the blessed Pope Leo be read out,
the one written by him to Flavian, who is remembered among the
saints, even though he was frequently exhorted by those who had
conveyed it that it be read out, and he had promised on oath to
make the reading. Since this was not read, he filled the most holy
churches throughout the universe with problems and harm. 48 But
46 The exchanges are included in the extracts from the acta at ii.18, pp. 74:7-76:14 (full
version in ACO II.i.2, pp. 9:35-14:26, 25:7-27:16): Dioscorus first alleged that he was being
prevented from attending by his guards, then demanded that the officials and senators who
had presided at the earlier meeting should be present, then resorted to a plea of sickness
which he combined with the demand for the presence not only of the officials but also the
bishops who had shared the presidency at Second Ephesus.
47 ACO II.i.2, pp. 28:24-29:20, with deviations noted in Bidez-Parmentier’s apparatus.
Allen, Evagrius 102 (though incorrectly describing this text as a letter of Leo, whereas in fact
it was the official pronouncement of his representatives) noted that the number of textual
deviations had increased in the three successive documents cited so far in this chapter,
though it is not possible to determine who was to blame for this carelessness.
48 These two key misdemeanours of Dioscorus are not mentioned in Evagrius’ account
of Second Ephesus at i. 10.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
71
nevertheless, although such affronts had been committed by him,
we aimed to accord him some clemency for his former impious
action, as in the case of the other bishops beloved of God, even
though they did not have similar authority to his in judgement.
But since he outdistanced his former lawlessness with the subse¬
quent one, and dared even to pronounce excommunication upon
Leo, 49 the most holy and saintly archbishop of great Rome, and
since in addition to this, when depositions filled with illegalities
were brought against him to the holy and great Synod and after
being canonically summoned once and twice and thrice by the
bishops beloved of God he did not attend - stabbed, no doubt, by
his own conscience - and |47] since he received unlawfully those
who had been legally deposed by various Synods, he himself
brought the verdict upon himself, by having variously trampled
the ecclesiastical decrees. Wherefore the most holy and blessed
archbishop of the great and elder Rome, Leo, through us and the
current Synod, along with the thrice-blessed and far-famed Peter
the apostle, who is a rock and foundation of the universal Church
and the basis of the orthodox faith, 50 stripped him of episcopal
rank and dissociated him from all priestly activity. Accordingly
this holy and great Synod passes 51 a verdict in accordance with
the canons upon the aforementioned Dioscorus.
When these had been ratified by the Synod and certain other matters
transacted, those who had been deposed together with Dioscorus
obtained restoration at the request of the Synod and with imperial
assent. 52 And after other additional matters had been introduced into
49 It is not known exactly when Dioscorus excommunicated the Pope, but a likely occa¬
sion is when the bishops were beginning to gather at Nicaea in summer 451 (Bardy in Fliche
and Martin IV. 228); this could have been one of the disorderly acts that persuaded Marcian
to move proceedings to Chalcedon.
50 Leo deliberately exploited the Petrine inheritance of the Roman Church to bolster the
universal authority of the Papacy: see Meyendorff, Unity 148-58.
51 The MSS of Evagrius have the present tense here, which Bidez-Parmentier emended
to the future (with the force of an imperative), to accord with the acta and the second cita¬
tion of this text at 79:4: but granted the carelessness of the copying in this text, it is preferable
to keep the present tense.
52 This occurred at the fourth session of the Council, on 17 October, after the assembled
bishops had individually confirmed their acceptance of the faith of Nicaea, Constantinople,
Cyril and Leo: ACO II.i.2, pp. 109:11-110:5.
72
EVAGRIUS
the transactions, 53 a definition was pronounced which said the following
in these very terms: 54
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ said when confirming the
knowledge of the faith for the disciples, ‘My peace I give you, my
peace I leave you’, 55 so that no one should differ from his neigh¬
bour in the doctrines of piety but should in harmony make mani¬
fest the proclamation of truth.
And thereafter, when the holy creed of Nicaea had been read, and in
addition that of the 150 Fathers, 56 they added: 57
Now for perfect recognition and confirmation of piety this wise
and saving creed of divine charity is sufficient: for concerning
the Father and the Son and the Floly Spirit it gives the complete
exposition, and it presents the incarnation of the Lord to those
who receive it faithfully. [48] But since the enemies of the
truth are attempting to disavow the proclamation through their
particular heresies and have brought forth empty words, some
daring to debase the mystery of the Lord’s dispensation for us
and utterly denying the appellation Mother of God in respect
of the Virgin, 58 others introducing confusion and mixture
and foolishly reshaping as a unit the nature of the flesh and
of the Divinity, and by confusion indulging in the monstros¬
ity that the divine nature of the Only-begotten one was
53 This in fact glosses over a serious disruption to proceedings, when thirteen Egyptian
bishops entered the Council to present a declaration of faith which neither condemned
Eutyches nor accepted Leo’s Tome (ACO II.i.2, pp. 110:6-114:18); they were followed by
groups of Constantinopolitan and Syrian monks whose opposition to the Council was so
fierce that the session had to be terminated (ACO II.i.2, pp. 114:2-121:5). These events are,
however, included in the longer version of proceedings at ii.18, pp. 88:14-90:17.
54 At the fifth session of the Council on 22 October (ACO II.i.2, pp. 126:12-130:11). This
is a much more accurate transcription than the three preceding documents (Allen, Evagrius
102); deviations are noted in Bidez-Parmentier’s apparatus. Evagrius has omitted the dis¬
putes which preceded the construction of this new definition of faith, though they are in¬
cluded in the longer version at pp. 90:18-91:17. Most bishops saw no need for a new
definition of faith, and were only coerced into acceptance by the combined insistence of
imperial and papal representatives.
55 John 14.27.
56 I.e. that of ihe Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople (381).
57 ACO II.i.2, pp. 128:15-130:11.
58 I.e. Nestorians.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
73
passible, 59 for this reason, wishing to shut off from them every
device against the truth, this now current holy, great and ecume¬
nical Synod, defending the unshakability of the proclamation
from before, determined first and foremost that the faith of the
318 holy Fathers should remain beyond challenge. And, on the
one hand, on account of those who fight against the Holy
Spirit, 60 it ratified the teaching concerning the essence of the
Spirit which was handed down subsequently by the 150 Fathers
who convened in the imperial city, which they made known to
all, not as though they were introducing something deficient in
their predecessors, but clarifying with written testimonies their
own understanding concerning the Holy Spirit against those
who were attempting to disavow its lordship. 61 While on the
other hand, on account of those who dare to debase the
mystery of the dispensation, by shamelessly and foolishly de¬
claring that He who was born of the holy Virgin Mary was
mere man, 62 it admitted as being concordant the synodical
letters of the blessed Cyril, who was shepherd of the Church of
the Alexandrians, which were written to Nestorius and the men
of the East, 63 both as refutation of the lunacy of Nestorius, and
as interpretation for those who in pious endeavour desire under¬
standing of the saving creed. To these |49| it appropriately at¬
tached, for the confirmation of the correct doctrines, the letter
of the prelate of the most great and elder Rome, the most
blessed and most holy archbishop Leo, which was written to
the archbishop Flavian, who is among the saints, for the de¬
struction of the perversity of Eutyches, inasmuch as it accords
59 An accusation that was levelled against Monophysites, who were said to confuse the
two separate natures in Christ; in 533 the Theopaschite doctrine, that the Christ who suf¬
fered in the flesh was one of the Trinity, was upheld by Justinian.
60 I.e Macedonians or Pneumatomachi, on which see i. n. 7 above.
61 It was vital not to imply that the Nicene formula was in any way deficient, since to
tamper with it would risk reopening a difficult debate.
62 I.e. Nestorians.
63 Cyril’s second letter to Nestorius and his later letter to John of Antioch: A CO I.i.l, no.
4; I.i.4, no. 127 (cf. ii.18 below, at nn. 195-6). These letters jointly presented an orthodox
Christological statement and confirmed the reunion of the two main eastern ecclesiastical
blocks, Egypt and Oriens. The second letter to Nestorius, which had received overwhelming
approval at First Ephesus (i. 4 with n. 36 above), was the crucial text: thus Pope Leo used it,
in conjunction with his own Tome, as a test of orthodoxy (Leo, Letter 70, in PL 54).
74
EVAGRIUS
with the confession of the great Peter and is a common monu¬
ment against those of false doctrine. 64 For it ranges itself
against those who attempt to split the mystery of the dispensa¬
tion into a duality of sons; and it rejects from the congregation
of the holy those who dare to say that the Divinity of the Only-
begotten was passible; and it opposes those who contemplate a
mixture or confusion with respect to the two natures of Christ;
and it drives out those who commit the folly of believing that
the form of the servant, which He derived from us, was of a hea¬
venly or some other substance; and it anathematizes those who
construct the myth that the natures of the Lord were dual
before the union, but reshape them as one after the union.
Accordingly, following the holy Fathers, 65 we confess one
and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and we all unani¬
mously expound that the same is complete in Divinity and the
same is complete in humanity, truly God and truly man, the
same being of a rational soul and a body, consubstantial with
the Father in respect to Divinity and the same consubstantial
with us in respect to humanity, being alike us in all respects
except for sin; 66 whereas before eternity he was born of the
Father in respect to Divinity, but at the end of days on account
of us and our salvation the same was born of the Virgin Mary
the Mother of God in respect to humanity; one and the same
Jesus Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, made known in two
natures without confusion, immutably, indivisibly, inseparably,
since the |501 difference of the natures is in no way annihilated
by the union, but rather the individuality of each nature is pre¬
served and contributes to one person and hypostasis', not as if
being split or divided into two persons, but one and the same
Son, Only-begotten, divine Word, Lord Jesus Christ, as from
before the prophets taught concerning Him and as Christ
Himself taught us, and as the creed of the Fathers has trans¬
mitted to us.
64 The famous Tome of Leo, A CO Il.ii.l, no. 5; Greek version at ACO II. i.l. no. 11. Con¬
fession of Peter: Matthew 16.16.
65 This paragraph contains the actual Definition of Chalcedon whose purpose was to
present a clear and acceptable statement about the being of Christ which would guarantee
his role as the bringer of God’s salvation to mankind.
66 Hebrews 4.15.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
75
Accordingly, after these things had been defined by us with
all precision and care, the holy and ecumenical Synod deter¬
mined that it was impermissible for anyone to propound
another faith, that is to compile or construct or think or teach
otherwise. But that those who dared either to construct another
faith, that is to promulgate one, or to teach or transmit another
creed to those wishing to turn to knowledge of truth from pa¬
ganism and from Judaism or from any other heresy whatsoever,
these if they be bishops or clerics are to be ousted, bishops
from the episcopacy and clerics from the clergy, while if they
be monks or laymen, they are to be anathematized.
So after the formulation had been read out, the emperor Marcian
also attended the Synod at the city of the Chalcedonians and, after
making a public speech, he returned again. 67 And by certain agreements
Juvenal and Maximus arranged the matters concerning the provinces
under their control, 68 and Theodoret and Ibas were recalled, 69 and
67 Marcian attended the Council's sixth session, on 25 October, when the Definition of
Chalcedon was formally promulgated; Marcian’s speech is at A CO II.i.2, pp. 139:28-140:26.
68 For much of his career, Juvenal had succeeded in building up the power of the see of
Jerusalem at the expense of its nearest patriarchal neighbour, Antioch (for the rivalry, Hon-
igmann, ‘Juvenal’ 214-15); at the height of his prestige in 450, Juvenal managed to have the
provinces of Arabia and First and Second Palestine transferred from the authority of
Antioch to his own. This arrangement was reversed on 23 October in a deal agreed
between the two bishops, but the case was then brought before the full Council on 26
October, when this decision was confirmed: ACO II.ii.2, pp. 17:33-21:23; II.i.3, pp. 5:8-7:5;
and see Honigmann, ‘Juvenal’ 245-7.
69 Theodoret had already been recognized by Pope Leo as the rightful bishop of Cyrrhus
in spite of his deposition at Second Ephesus and, on the first day of the Council, although the
papal legates had not succeeded in having him installed among the bishops, he was admitted
to the centre of the Council to share with Eusebius of Dorylaeum the prosecution of Dios-
corus. This is not reported by Evagrius at the relevant point (pp. 43-4 with n. 42 above,
though the longer account acknowledges that this had happened, pp. 71-2), since the reha¬
bilitation of Theodoret was an aspect of the Council which neo-Chalcedonians were keen
not to emphasize (especially after his condemnation at the Fifth Council in 553). Theo-
doret’s complete readmission was quickly accomplished on 26 October since his case had
virtually been prejudged (ACO II.i.3, pp. 9:3-11:18).
The affair of Ibas, another casualty of Second Ephesus, was more complex, since it in¬
volved reading into the record the Acts of the Councils at Beirut, which had condemned the
bishop, and Tyre, which had acquitted him, so that proceedings spilled over onto the next day
(ACO II.i.3, pp. 13:24—42:17); he was eventually reinstated, though Juvenal stated that Ibas
was being admitted as a former heretic who recognized his errors (ACO II.i.3, p. 40:18-21).
76
EVAGRIUS
other matters were raised, which, as I said before, have been recorded
after this history. 70 And it was also decided that the throne of New
Rome, though in second place to the elder Rome, should take precedence
over the rest. 71
5 After this Dioscorus was condemned to live in the city of the Paphla-
gonian Gangrans, while Proterius was appointed bishop by common
vote of the synod of the Alexandrians. [ 51 ] When he had occupied his
own throne, a very great and irresistible commotion arose among the
people, who were whipped up over different opinions. For some missed
Dioscorus, just as usually happens on such occasions, while others
supported Proterius most vigorously, so that there were many pernicious
consequences. 72 Thus Priscus the rhetor narrates that, at the time he
came to Alexandria from the district of the Thebaid, 73 he saw the people
70 Episcopal disputes at Ephesus, in Bithynia, and at Perrha, occupied much of the next
two sessions of the Council, 29-30 October: ACO II.i.3, pp. 42-83.
71 The highly contentious Canon 28 of Chalcedon, passed on 31 October, which intro¬
duced a millennium of rivalry between Rome and Constantinople, since the Pope objected
to the pretensions of the New Rome (A CO II.i.3, pp. 88:13-99:22). In fact the Canon was no
more than a restatement of the decision of the Council of Constantinople in 381, but this
confirmation raised hackles: the papal legates protested that the Canon contravened the
hierarchy established at the Council of Nicaea, which was true but disingenuous since
Constantinople had not existed as a city in 325. See further Meyendorff, Unity 179-84;
de Halleux, 'Canon’; Daley, ‘Position’.
72 Gangra: modern (j'ankiri (about 130 km north of Ankara). Proterius had been left by
Dioscorus to keep control of ecclesiastical affairs at Alexandria during his absence at the
Council, and so was an obvious successor. Trouble was inevitable, however, since many
still regarded Dioscorus as their rightful bishop, so that any replacement was unacceptable
during his life, while Proterius, to gain the recognition of pope and emperor, had to sub¬
scribe to the decisions of Chalcedon. The reference to his election by ‘the synod of the Alex¬
andrians’ is meant to suggest that he enjoyed considerable support. The choice of a new
patriarch at Alexandria might be debated by a meeting of Ihe province’s bishops, as in 328
when 54 assembled to discuss the succession to Alexander, but decisions were more often
taken by a small group or pre-empted by actions of the previous incumbent. Proterius was
consecrated by the four Egyptian bishops who returned from Chalcedon in favour of the
Council, and it is most unlikely that he received the support of an open meeting.
According to Zachariah (iii.2), Proterius was harsh and violent in punishing his
opponents: see also Gregory, Vox 181-8. Rufus, Plerophories 66, 68-9 has various predic¬
tions (including two by Proterius himself) in which Dioscorus’ successor as patriarch is
represented as a wolf, heretic or the Antichrist.
73 The MSS reading here does not make sense, ‘to Alexandria of the district of the
Thebaid’, and so most scholars (though not Bidez-Parmentier, introduction ix) follow the
paraphrase of Nicephorus Callistus and insert ek to signify that Priscus was coming from
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
77
going en masse against the officials; when a military force wished to
prevent the riot, the people routed them using volleys of stones, besieged
them when they took refuge in the former temple of Serapis, and deliv¬
ered them alive to the flames; 74 when the emperor learned of these
events, he dispatched 2,000 new recruits, and they chanced upon such a
favourable wind that they arrived at the great city of the Alexandrians
on the sixth day; 75 and thereafter, since the soldiers were drunkenly
abusive towards both the wives and the daughters of the Alexandrians,
the consequences were much worse than before; and later the people
gathered in the hippodrome and begged Florus, who was commander of
the military regiments as well as exercizing civil office, to restore to them
the grain allowance of which he had deprived them, and the baths and
the shows and everything which had been terminated because of the
disorder caused by them; and so Florus, on Priscus’ advice, appeared to
the people, promised these things, and the riot ended quickly. 76
the Thebaid. This emendation has been questioned by Zuckerman, ‘Huns’ 178-9, because it
would imply that Priscus was returning from his period of service in the province with Max¬
iminus (who died in 453), which is too late for the riots described here. It is right to be cau¬
tious, since we do not know what Priscus actually wrote, but it is not impossible that Priscus
visited Alexandria on various occasions during his time in the Thebaid; equally, Evagrius
may have inaccurately paraphrased Priscus’ account.
74 The temple of Serapis was destroyed under Theodosius I, c. 391; although much of it
had been burnt or dismantled, the floor was too massive to be worth moving (Eunapius,
Lives of the Sophists vi. 11), and it would appear that enough of the ruined building survived
to offer limited protection. Blockley, Historians II. 392 n. 127, wrongly doubted the possibi¬
lity of the Serapeum being used in this way (partly because he misinterpreted Evagrius as
referring to a temple of Isis).
75 Blockley, Historians II. 392 n. 123, dated the rioting to summer on the grounds that
the favourable winds must have been the Etesians, but it is more likely that these events
closely followed the appointment of Proterius in winter 451/2; the soldiers were doubly for¬
tunate to have a rapid voyage during the months when only emergency journeys were un¬
dertaken.
76 The date of this subsequent demonstration is uncertain, but might be as late as 453.
Florus’ civil position was praefectus Augustalis, his military one comes Aegyptr, the joint
responsibility was a consequence of the continuing religious unrest in Alexandria, and/or
of the renewed threat to the Thebaid of invasion by the Blemmyes and Nobades which fol¬
lowed the death of the commander there. Maximinus (Blockley, Historians II. 392 n. 126;
PLRE II. 481-2 s.v. Florus 2; Gregory, Vox 184).
For grain distributions at Alexandria, see Gregory, Vox 186-7; Durliat, Ville 323^49.
Theodore Lector 352 (Theophanes, 106:30-107:3) records that partisans of Dioscorus at¬
tempted to interfere with grain bound for Constantinople; to avoid this, Marcian arranged
78
EVAGRIUS
But not even did the desert areas in the vicinity of Jerusalem maintain
tranquillity, for some of the monks who had been present at the Synod
but wished to hold different opinions from it, came to Palestine; and
lamenting the betrayal of the faith, they were eager to [52] reignite and
reawaken the monastic community. 77 And after Juvenal had occupied
his own see, being under compulsion to reverse and anathematize his
own views by those raving men, he took refuge in the emperor’s city, 78
while those who, as we mentioned above, held different opinions from
the Synod of Chalcedon, assembled in the Church of the Resurrection
and elected Theodosius: he in particular threw the Synod at Chalcedon
into confusion, and was also the first to bring a report of it to them. 79
for Egyptian grain to be shipped down the Nile to Pelusium, a switch which caused famine in
Alexandria. For punishment of the populace by reduction of its grain allocation, cf.
Socrates ii.13.5 (Constantinople in 342, after the death of a magister equitum), and by
suspension of entertainments, cf. Cameron, Factions 226-9 (beast shows and pantomime
dancers at Constantinople in 498 and 502, and other examples).
Priscus had been adviser to Maximinus, and may for a time have served Florus in the
same capacity; at any rate he would have had to travel from the Thebaid to Alexandria to
witness this demonstration, a fact which may be relevant to the textual problem discussed in
n. 73 above. The quick end to the riot did not mean the end of opposition to Proterius; there
are various stories of hostility in Rufus, Flerophories, e.g. 76-7.
77 Juvenal of Jerusalem, one of the leaders at Second Ephesus, had initially sat with
Dioscorus at Chalcedon, but switched sides on the first day. Monophysite sources therefore
regarded him with particular hatred as a traitor (e.g. Rufus, Flerophories 4, a vision of
Juvenal being carried in triumph by Romans and demons; 16, the utter desolation of his
former monastery; 17, an old man identifies him with the Antichrist); they alleged that he
had anathematized the Tome of Leo before setting out for the Council and had stated that
anyone who accepted it should be circumcised (an allusion to the propagandist perception
of Nestorius’ Jewish links): Zachariah iii.3; Frend, Rise 149 n. 3.
The monks were perhaps among the group of determined Monophysite archimandrites
summoned before the Council on 20 October, when they were allowed until 15 November to
reflect on their views; determined opponents of proceedings did not bother to wait until the
end of the Council (cf. the case of Pamprepius, Bishop of Titopolis in Isauria: Rufus, Pler-
ophories 22, p. 52).
78 Anti-Chalcedonian monks gathered to meet Juvenal at Caesarea in Palestine, but the
governor prevented them from entering the city because they were so numerous. They did,
however, have a meeting with Juvenal at which they forcefully rejected his account of pro¬
ceedings at Chalcedon and threatened him with violence: Rufus, Flerophories 10, 25, 56;
Zachariah iii.3.
79 The anti-Chalcedonians returned to Jerusalem before considering the question of a
replacement for Juvenal (Zachariah iii.3). Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Euthymius 27 (p.
41:19-26), also records Theodosius’ seizure of control in Palestine, describing him as the
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
79
Concerning this man the monastic community in Palestine later reported
in writing to Alcison that he had been convicted of misdemeanours by his
own bishop and expelled from his monastery, and that when he came to
the city of Alexander he attacked Dioscorus, and, after being lacerated
by numerous blows as a trouble-maker, he was paraded around the city
on a camel just as malefactors are. 80 To this man many of the cities in
Palestine made approaches and arranged to have bishops appointed for
themselves. Among these there was Peter the Iberian, who was entrusted
with the episcopal rudders of the place called Maiuma, which is next to
the city of the people of Gaza. 81 When Marcian discovered this, he first
commanded that Theodosius be brought before him at court, and
dispatched Juvenal for the rectification of what had happened.
precursor of Antichrist; cf. also Theophanes 107:6-14. Rufus, Plerophories 25, naturally
reports the appointment from the opposite angle. There is no evidence that Theodosius
had done anything at Chalcedon to disrupt the Council (Zachariah iii.3 merely records
that he left the Council after observing Juvenal’s desertion of Dioscorus), and Evagrius
may just have in mind the confusion caused by the actions in Palestine described below.
One of Theodosius’ most influential adherents was the empress Eudocia, whose support
for the Monophysites is recorded in Rufus, Plerophories 10 (she transmits to Constantino¬
ple evidence of a miraculous shower of stones that presaged the iniquities of Chalcedon), 11;
also Theophanes 107:8-14.
80 Alcison, a leading opponent of Monophysites under Anastasius, was bishop of Nico-
polis in Epirus; at iii.31, 33 Evagrius quotes from this letter, for whose preservation he is
responsible.
Theodosius had probably visited Alexandria in 448, and caused disturbances there
against Theodoret and Domnus of Antioch: Honigmann, ‘Juvenal’ 249. The assertion that
he also opposed Dioscorus, whose Christological views he shared, and received a humiliat¬
ing punishment, cannot be confirmed.
81 Theodosius acted quickly to take control of Palestine, anticipating Ihe return of
bishops from Chalcedon (Theophanes 107:13-14) and replacing them with men who were
both loyal to Dioscorus and popular with their local communities. Peter, whose original
name was Nabarnugius, belonged to the Georgian royal family and had come to Constan¬
tinople as a hostage, but fled to Palestine in 437 after meeting the aristocratic ascetic,
Melania the Younger (Zachariah iii.4; other refs in PLRE II. 867, s.v. Petrus 13). Other
bishops to be appointed were Theodotus at Joppa, and Timothy at an unknown city. Oppo¬
nents were forcibly removed: Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, and Athanasius, deacon of
the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, were supposedly murdered (Theophanes
107:14-21). Cyril of Scythopolis alleged that the lavra of Euthymius was the only place
where orthodoxy survived in the Palestinian desert during Theodosius’ supremacy: Life of
Euthymius 27, p. 42:6-9.
80
EVAGRIUS
instructing that all who had been appointed by Theodosius should be
ejected. 82
Next, after the arrival of Juvenal, there were many unholy occur¬
rences as those from one side or the other proceeded with whatever their
rage suggested to them: 83 the envious and God-hating Devil thus wick¬
edly devised and misinterpreted a change of a single letter, so that,
whereas the utterance of one of these absolutely thereby introduces the
other one, |53| by most people the difference is considered to be great
and their meanings to be in outright antithetical opposition and to be
exclusive of each other. 84 For he who confesses Christ in two natures
82 It probably took Marcian over a year to authorize the return of Juvenal with sufficient
support to coerce the hostile population of the province. Before that both Marcian and Pul-
cheria had responded to appeals from the Palestinian rebels by explaining the orthodoxy of
Ihe Chalcedonian definition, while conceding that the novelty of the two natures formula¬
tion, which was not in the Creed of Nicaea, might cause concern; they also urged the reac¬
ceptance of Juvenal, and promised the correction of certain specific grievances concerning
Ihe Samaritans and the billetting of soldiers on monasteries (ACO II.i.3, pp. 124:25-129:22).
In view of the strength of feeling in the province, the situation was delicate, and Marcian was
prepared to present a conciliatory facade which contrasted his reluctance to coerce oppo¬
nents with the violence employed by the anti-Chalcedonian monks (ACO II.i.3, p. 127.6-
12). Another important consideration was the need to detach the empress Eudocia from
Ihe rebels, which was achieved through the diplomacy of Pope Leo and an appeal from her
son-in-law, Valentinian III (Honigmann, ‘Juvenal’ 251-5).
83 Theophanes, 107:23-4, records that Theodosius held the see for twenty months.
Juvenal eventually returned in summer 453, accompanied by comes Dorotheus, who was
charged with the task of capturing Theodosius and removing his supporters from their bish¬
oprics; Rufus, Plerophories 8, records a prediction of exile for the orthodox after Chalce¬
don, and e.g. 29 for its realization. Monastic leaders were imprisoned at Antioch, Bishop
Theodosius was captured and taken to Constantinople, where he died in 457 (this was mir¬
aculously announced to Peter the Iberian: Rufus, Plerophories 54), and some monks were
allegedly martyred when they persisted in rejecting Chalcedon: Zachariah iii.5-9; Honig¬
mann, ‘Juvenal’ 256-7.
84 For the sentiment, cf. i.l with i. nn. 12-13. This exposition of the essential identity
between the Chalcedonian (‘in two’) and Monophysite (‘from two’) definitions of faith was
fundamental to Evagrius’ stance as a neo-Chalcedonian (Allen, Evcigrius 104-5). For a
logical and elegant demonstration of the fundamental convergence of views, see Anastasius
of Antioch’s dialogue with a Tritheist, Uthemann, ‘Anastasius’.
Socrates (i.23.6) had complained that the disputants in the homoousios dispute were fight¬
ing each other in the dark, since neither side really understood the reasons for their disagree¬
ment. In 452 Marcian legislated to restrict discussion of the decisions of Chalcedon, with
specific penalties for clergy, imperial employees and inhabitants of Constantinople (Cod.
lust, i.1.4). On the rise of negative attitudes towards public debate, see Lim, Discussion
chs. 6-7.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
81
openly declares Him to be from two, in that by confessing Christ jointly
in Divinity and humanity he declares in confessing that He is composed
from Divinity and humanity. And he who says He is from two introduces
absolutely the confession that He is in two, in that by saying that Christ
comes from Divinity and humanity he confesses that He exists in Divi¬
nity and humanity. Neither was the flesh transformed into Divinity, nor
again did the Divinity proceed into flesh. From these came the ineffable
union, so that through the expression ‘from two’ the expression ‘in two’
is thereupon fittingly understood, and through ‘in two’, ‘from two’, and
neither is absent from the other. As a result, in accordance with its super¬
abundance, not only is there recognized the whole from its parts but
also the whole in its parts. And nevertheless men consider these things
to be so distinct from one another, from some habit concerning their
glorification of God or indeed from a prior decision to think thus, that
they scorn every form of death rather than move to approval of the
reality. 85 Hence the events I have described arose. So much for these
things.
6 During these times a dearth of rainwater occurred in Phrygia and
Galatia and Cappadocia and Cilicia, so that from shortage of necessities
men partook even of more harmful nourishment; consequently plague
too arose. They fell sick from the change of diet, and as their bodies
became bloated from excess of inflammation they lost their sight,
coughing supervened, and on the third day they departed life. And for
the time being it was impossible to discover a remedy for the plague, but
the universal saviour Providence granted relief from the famine for the
survivors, by pouring down nourishment from the sky in the unproduc¬
tive year, as for the Israelites (that was called manna), |54| while in the
following year granting that crops be brought to fruition of their own
accord. These things were allocated also to the province of Palestine and
85 Habit and prejudgement of the issues highlight two factors that made the Chalcedo-
nian dispute intractable. For many Christians the attack on Dioscorus of Alexandria,
coupled with the restoration of supporters of Nestorius, such as Theodoret and Ibas,
branded the Council of Chalcedon as Nestorian, and no amount of explanation could shift
this perception. Another related problem, noted in a letter from Pope Leo to the rebel
monks in Palestine, was the language barrier (ACO II.iv, p. 159:3-8): concepts which it
was hard for Leo to express in his own language, Latin, or which he may have simplified in
the interests of clarity, could all too easily, through inexperience or malice, be altered sig¬
nificantly when translated into Greek.
82
EVAGRIUS
many other, indeed innumerable places, since the afflictions were travel¬
ling around the earth. 86
7 While these things were progressing in the East, in the elder Rome
Aetius was removed from men in cowardly fashion; also Valentinian,
the emperor of the western regions, and along with him Heraclius were
killed by some of Aetius’ bodyguards. A plot had been concocted
against them by Maximus, who indeed girded on the realm, on the
grounds that Valentinian had outraged the wife of Maximus by forcibly
having intercourse with her. 87 This Maximus betrothed Eudoxia, the
wife of Valentinian, under utmost constraint. But, rightfully regarding
the act as an outrage and altogether outlandish, she chose to risk all on
the die, as they say, both for the sufferings with regard to her husband
and for the utter outrages with regard to her liberty: for a woman is
formidable and inexorable in grief if, after clinging to her chastity, she
should be deprived of this and especially by the man through whom she
lost her husband. She sent to Libya and by providing very great gifts
at once and promising also good hope for the future, she persuaded
Geiseric to attack the dominion of the Romans unexpectedly, promising
86 Evagrius is our only source for these disasters. For the role of saviour Providence, cf.
v.l 1, p. 207:28-30; v.18, p. 214:5-6. For thorough discussion of famine in antiquity, see P.
Garnsey, Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World; responses to risk and crisis
(Cambridge, 1988), especially ch. 3: Eusebius EFl ix.8 describes the coincidence of starva¬
tion and plague in Palestine in 312/13 (see Garnsey, 34-5).
87 In the West the death of Attila in 453 and the removal of the Hunnic threat occasioned
major political power struggles. The patrician Aetius, the leading figure in the western
empire for two decades, who had co-ordinated the resistance to Attila, attempted to conso¬
lidate his pre-eminence by the betrothal of his son Gaudentius to one of Valentinian IIFs
daughters, probably Placidia. This prompted a jealous reaction by other western political
figures, and Petronius Maximus, twice consul, twice city prefect, and twice praetorian
prefect of Italy (PLRE 11. 749-51, s. v. Maximus 22), conspired with Valentinian's cubicular-
ius, Heraclius, who then persuaded the emperor that Aetius was plotting treason.
As a result, Valentinian and Heraclius personally murdered Aetius during an audience in
Ihe palace on 21 or 22 September 454. Maximus failed to secure Aetius’ position of influ¬
ence, and consequently he persuaded two former bodyguards of Aetius, Optila and Thraus-
tila, to avenge their master’s death; on 16 March 455 they killed Valentinian and Heraclius
in the Campus Martius, and on 17 March Maximus had himself proclaimed emperor. The
story of Valentinian’s rape of Maximus’ wife was probably an excuse to justify the latter’s
treacherous ambition, since Maximus had recently been on good terms with Valentinian
(John of Antioch fr. 200, Theophanes 108:17-30, Marc. Com. s.a. 455). Maximus died on
31 May while attempting to flee the Vandal attack on Rome.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
83
to betray everything to him. When this indeed had been done, Rome was
captured. 88
But Geiseric, being both unstable and fickle in manner as a barbarian,
did not even preserve his pledge to this woman, but, after firing the city
and ravaging everything, he took Eudoxia along with her two daughters
and made his return journey. And he departed and left for Libya. 89 And
he married Eudocia, the elder of Eudoxia’s daughters, to his own son
Huneric, while he subsequently dispatched the younger one, Placidia,
together with her mother Eudoxia to Byzantium with imperial retinues,
in order to placate Marcian. For both the burning of Rome and such a
wanton outrage to the imperial women had induced him to anger. 90
Then, on Marcian’s orders, Placidia was joined in marriage |55] to
Olybrius, who had been betrothed to her; he happened to be a distin¬
guished member of the senate, who had come to Constantinople from
Rome at its capture. 91
Then, after Maximus, Majorian was Roman emperor for two years;
and when Majorian was assassinated by Ricimer, the general of the
Romans, Avitus retained the rule for two years and eight months, and
after him Severus for three years. 92
88 Eudoxia, daughter of Theodosius II, was a powerful means of legitimation for
Maximus. Hydatius (160) refers to an evil rumour that Geiseric had been summoned by
Eudoxia, and John of Antioch (fr. 201; cf. also 200) notes it as a variant tradition. Geiseric,
however, scarcely needed an invitation, since the engagement of his son Huneric to Eudox¬
ia’s elder daughter Eudocia firmly tied him to the house of Valentinian, and this was dis¬
rupted by both the emperor’s death and the betrothal of Eudocia to Maximus’ son
Palladius. Geiseric captured Rome on 2 June 455.
89 Pope Leo is alleged to have mitigated the violence of the Vandal sack: there were four¬
teen days of systematic looting, which included the wealth of Ihe imperial palace and the
treasures from Ihe Temple at Jerusalem that Titus had brought to Rome, but no widespread
killing or burning. Aetius’ son, Gaudentius, is named among the captives (Hydatius 160).
90 Eudoxia and Placidia were sent to Constantinople in the early 460s during Leo’s
reign; Malalas 368:1-4 places the move in Marcian’s reign, Theophanes 110:5-8 (from
Theodore Lector, so independently of Malalas) in the year of Marcian’s death. Blockley,
Historians I. 66, has suggested that Marcian was credited with the release of the princesses
to help justify his failure to campaign against the Vandals (cf. n. 9 above).
91 For Olybrius, see PLRE II. 796-8, s.v. Olybrius 6; he had been betrothed to Placidia,
perhaps even married to her, in 454/5, but had fled to the East shortly before the Vandal
attack.
92 There are problems with the text of this sentence, but correction is difficult since
Evagrius’ account of the western imperial succession is severely confused. Theophanes,
independently, has similar errors (109:9-12; also Cedrenus 606:17-19); this points to an
84
EVAGRIUS
8 While Severus was still Roman emperor, Marcian exchanged king¬
doms by departing for the better fate; he directed the empire for only
seven years, but left for all mankind a memorial that was truly imperial.
Leo then reigned. 93 When the people of Alexandria learnt this they
renewed their wrath against Proterius with greater anger and extreme
heat. For the populace is an object easily ignited to rage and takes
chance causes as kindling for commotions, 4 but most particularly of all
the populace of Alexandria which preens itself for its great mass, which
is especially obscure and heterogeneous, and exults in its surges with illo¬
gical boldness. 95 As a result, they indeed say that it is possible for
anyone who wishes, by broaching some chance occurrence, to excite the
city into popular unrest, and to lead and direct it wherever and against
whomsoever he wishes; in most respects they are jocular, just as
inaccurate source, probably Eustathius, and reflects eastern ignorance about developments
in the West (see Allen, Evagrius 106).
Avitus ( PLRE II. 196-8, s. v. Avitus 5) was proclaimed emperor in Gaul on 9 July 455 and
reigned until his deposition by Majorian and Ricimer on 17 October 456. Though Majorian
(PLRE II. 702-3) was proclaimed by the army on 1 April, there was strictly an interregnum
until his installation on 28 December 457; Majorian reigned for almost four years until his
deposition on 2 August 461, and execution by Ricimer five days later. His successor, Libius
Severus (PLRE II. 1004-5, j.v. Severus 18), was proclaimed on 19 November 461 and
reigned for four years until his death on 14 November 465.
93 After a reign of six years and five months, Marcian died on 27 January 457, when
(here was no western emperor (and some time before the accession of Severus in 461); Leo
I was elevated on 7 February. According to Rufus, Plerophories 12, a 120-year old monk
in the Thebaid had predicted a reign of a bit over six years for Marcian, who would be
followed by a liar who would give peace to the churches, after which the Antichrist
would come.
For the notion of exchanging kingdoms, cf. i.22 on the death of Theodosius II, and for
an immortal memorial bequeathed by an emperor, v.22 (Tiberius); Marcian’s memorial
was presumably the Council of Chalcedon. For the Monophysite view of Marcian’s
reward, see Rufus, Plerophories 27, where an imperial guardsman has a vision of the
emperor being tortured in Hell.
94 Cf. Theophylact viii.9.9: 'the multitude is uneducated and is frenzied by changes for
the worse, being difficult to correct and utterly uninitiated in expediency’ (of Constantino¬
ple) and Socrates iii.17.4 on the insolence of the Antiochenes.
95 The Alexandrians had a reputation for violence: Socrates vii.13.2; Ammianus
xxii.11.4; Hadrian criticized their levity and love of money (Scriptores Historiae Augustae,
Firmus 8.1), Cassius Dio their propensity to revolution (li.17.1-2). Dio Chrysostom, Or.
xxxii is an extended attack on the Alexandrians’ character, though see Barry, ‘Aristocrats’
on the interpretation of the speech.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
85
Herodotus narrates about Amasis. 96 This is the nature of that populace,
but in other respects it is not such as one should in fact despise.
And so the people of Alexander’s city, waiting for a moment when
Dionysius, the leader of the military regiments, was detained in Upper
Egypt, elected Timothy, surnamed Aelurus, to ascend to the eminence
of the archbishopric. 97 156 | He had formerly practised the monastic life,
but had subsequently been numbered among the elders of the Alexan¬
drian church. And they went up to the Great Church, which is called
that of Caesar, and ordained him their bishop, although Proterius was
still alive and executing the duties of the priesthood. Eusebius, the
prelate of Pelusium, was present at the ordination, and Peter the
Iberian, prelate of the township of Maiuma, according to the narrative
of these events by the composer of the life of Peter; he says that it was
not the mob, but one of the soldiers who slaughtered Proterius. 98
Although Dionysius reached the city with the greatest speed, hastened
on by the untoward incidents and eager to quench the pyre of sedition
which had arisen, some of the Alexandrians, at the instigation of
Timothy, as was written to Leo, attacked and slaughtered Proterius by
thrusting a sword through his entrails, after he had fled to the all-holy
baptistery. They even hung him up by a rope and displayed him to
everyone at the so-called Tetrapylon, jeering and shouting that the
victim was Proterius. And after this they dragged the corpse around the
whole city and consigned it to the flames, not even shrinking from tasting
his entrails like wild beasts. 99 All these things are contained in the petition
96 Herodotus ii. 173-4. Amasis was Pharoah for about 40 years in the mid-sixth century
BC, and his long reign was regarded as a period of peace and prosperity.
97 Dionysius was comes Aegypti; see also PLRE II. 364, s.v. Dionysius 7. Timothy was
ordained on 16 March 457; after Dioscorus’ death in 454, the Monophysite party in Alex¬
andria had been keen to appoint a successor, but were dissuaded by Marcian’s opposition
(Zachariah iii. 11). On the new patriarch’s doctrinal stance, see Blaudeau, ‘Timothee’.
98 Timothy had been appointed an elder by Cyril. His ordination as patriarch is de¬
scribed in greater detail by Zachariah iv.l. A second Egyptian bishop was present, and
Peter the Iberian was seized by the people to make up the canonical trio. This is also re¬
corded in the Life of Peter by John Rufus (64-9); there was a Life of Peter by Zachariah, of
which a Georgian version survives (though its account at this point is compressed): see
Lang, ‘Peter’. The massive Caesareum, or Temple of Augustus, was located close to the
mid-point of the Great Harbour: Fraser, Alexandria 24.
99 Theophanes 111:2-3 records that six companions of Proterius were also killed. A
more detailed version, from the Monophysite perspective, is preserved in Zachariah iv.l-
2, and Rufus’ Life of Peter pp. 64-8: according to this, Dionysius had Timothy arrested as
86
EVAGRIUS
which the bishops throughout Egypt and the whole clergy of Alexander’s
city made to Leo who, as has been said, assumed the mastery of the
Romans after Martian; 100 this was composed in these terms: 101
To the pious, Christ-loving Leo, proclaimed by God, victorious,
triumphant, and Augustus, a petition from all the bishops of
your Egyptian |57| diocese and the clergy of your greatest and
most holy Alexandrian Church. 102
Being furnished to human existence as a gift by the grace from
above, naturally you do not cease from daily forethought after
God for the community, Augustus, most pure of all emperors.
And further on:
There existed undisturbed peace among the orthodox peoples
both with us and at the city of the Alexandrians, except for
Timothy, who excluded himself from the universal Church and
faith and severed himself immediately after the holy Synod at
Chalcedon, at which time he was indeed an elder, together with a
mere four or five who at the time were bishops and a few monks;
like him these were affected by the heretical false doctrine of
Apollinarius and his followers. 103 Because of this they had then
soon as he returned from Upper Egypt, but had to release him since the violent rioting did
not abate; Timothy then occupied the Great Church, while Proterius used the Quirinian
church, their relative popularity being indicated in the number of baptisms each was asked
to perform - innumerable for Timothy, only five for Proterius. The people drove Proterius
from his church on Holy Thursday, 28 March 457, and slaughter ensued, but he was killed
by one of the Romans, i.e. the Roman soldiers, who secretly slew him and deposited the
body at the Tetrapylon. Thereafter the people dragged the corpse to the Hippodrome and
burnt it. Zachariah aptly makes the comparison with the death of George, the Arian bishop,
in 361. There are various predictions of the death of Proterius, the sodomite and murderer,
in Rufus, Plerophories, e.g. 34,66. Cf. Theodoret, EH iii.7.4 for the allegation that persecu¬
tors under Julian ate the liver of a Christian martyr.
100 Rufus’ Life of Peter (p. 68) claims that Leo already favoured Timothy over Proterius
before the latter’s murder.
101 For the Latin text of the complete letter, see A CO II. v. no. 7.
102 Timothy certainly had the support of two Egyptian bishops, as well as numerous
lower clergy, but the supporters of Proterius might choose to ignore these if they had been
deposed by a local synod. The petition was presented by fourteen bishops and various lesser
clergy (Bardy in Fliche & Martin, IV. 281 n. 3).
103 The accusation is, naturally, plausible but unfair. As the loyal successor of
Dioscorus and a participant at Second Ephesus, Timothy might be accused of favouring
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
87
been canonically deposed by Proterius of sacred memory and a
complete Egyptian Synod, and by banishment they properly ex¬
perienced imperial punishment.
And further on:
After awaiting the migration from here to God of the former
emperor Marcian of pure estate, as if a free agent, being shame¬
lessly emboldened against him with blaspheming utterances, and
without embarrassment anathematizing the holy and ecumenical
Synod at Chalcedon, dragging along a popular mob of hired
rabble, campaigning against the sacred canons and the ecclesias¬
tical establishment and the common constitution and the laws,
he intruded himself upon the holy Church of God which had a
shepherd and teacher, the most holy Proterius who was at that
time our father and archbishop, and who was accomplishing the
accustomed rites and offering up prayers to our universal
saviour Jesus Christ on behalf of |58] your pious reign and your
Christ-loving palace.
And after a little:
And after scarcely a day had elapsed, when Proterius most
beloved of God was as normal staying in the bishop’s palace,
Timothy took with him the two bishops who had been lawfully
deposed, and clergy who had been similarly condemned to live in
exile, as we have said, as if indeed to receive ordination from the
two, 104 although no one whatsoever of the orthodox bishops in
the Egyptian diocese was present, as is normal for such ordina¬
tions of the bishop of Alexandria; 105 he took possession, as he
Eutyches, and hence Apollinarius, who had argued that Christ, as perfect Deity, had not
been identical (homoousios, of the same substance) to humanity since the union of divinity
and humanity in Christ precluded the presence of a human soul. Timothy, however, anath¬
ematized Eutyches and acted against those who advocated similar views, since he held that
the humanity of Christ was of the same substance as other human beings.
104 The translation follows Festugiere (263 n. 73), who corrected Ss^apsvo^, the aorist
participle (which makes little sense, since Timothy has not yet been ordained bishop), to
8e1;6|t£vo<;, the future denoting purpose.
105 The reference to two bishops is intended to increase the illegality of Timothy’s
appointment (cf. Theodore Lector 370). Only two Egyptian bishops could be found to
participate, and the requisite trinity had to be made up by an outsider, Peter the Iberian: cf.
n. 98 above.
88
EVAGRIUS
thought, of the sacerdotal seat, having blatantly dared adultery
against the Church which had its own bridegroom, while the
latter was celebrating the sacred offices in it and canonically occu¬
pying his own throne. 106
And further on:
It was possible for that blessed man to do nothing other than
give ground to anger, according to Scripture, 107 and to occupy
the holy baptistery, fleeing the assault of those who rushed
against him for murder. In this place, especially, fear is engen¬
dered even in barbarians and all savage men, who do not
indeed know of the holiness of the place and the grace which
gushes up from there. Nevertheless, those who were eager to
advance to accomplishment the original objective of Timothy,
men who did not suffer him to be saved even in those unsullied
shrines, neither respecting the holiness of the place nor the occa¬
sion (for it was the feast of the saving Easter), 108 nor shuddering
at the priesthood itself which mediates between God and men,
they killed the innocent and slew him cruelly, along with six
others also. And after carrying round his corpse, which was
wounded all over, and brutally |59| dragging it around practi¬
cally every place in the city, and parading it without compunc¬
tion, they pitilessly outraged the body which felt no blows by
cutting it limb from limb, not even refraining from tasting like
wild beasts the entrails of him whom they were recently consid¬
ered to have as a mediator between God and men. After con¬
signing the remnant of his body to the flames, they committed
to the winds the ashes from it, surpassing the utmost savagery
of beasts. Cause of all these things and wise architect of the
evils was Timothy.
106 Festugiere (263 n. 74) proposed correcting the genitive absolutes to accusatives in
agreement with ‘the bridegroom’; though grammatically correct, this need not be what
Evagrius wrote.
107 Romans 12.19 is the scriptural passage, though there Paul speaks of leaving a place
for divine retribution.
108 Exactly the same accusation is made, from the Monophysite angle, about the expul¬
sion of Timothy in January 460 (Zachariah iv.9). Proterius was killed on Holy Thursday, 28
March.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
89
To Zacharias, however, who narrates this business in detail, trusting
in a letter of Timothy written to Leo, 109 it seems that although the
majority of these things were done, they were at the responsibility of
Proterius who had introduced very great disturbances to Alexandria,
and that these things were not ventured by the mob, but by some of the
soldiery. 110 And so, to impose punishment on them Stilas was sent out
by the emperor Leo. 111
9 Leo employed encyclical letters to enquire of the bishops throughout
the Roman state, and of those distinguished in the monastic life, about
the Synod at Chalcedon and the ordination of Timothy who is called
Aelurus, sending around also copies of the petitions submitted to him
both by the party of Proterius and by that of Timothy Aelurus. The Ency¬
clicals were composed in these words: 112
109 This letter is not mentioned in the extant epitome of Zachariah (iv.1-3: it should be
distinguished from the letter at iv.6, contra Festugiere 264 n. 76).
110 In Zachariah (iv.1-2) the people of Alexandria were responsible for driving
Proterius from his church, and subsequently for burning his corpse, but the actual murder
was effected by an unnamed Roman soldier, who was allegedly angered by Proterius’ com¬
plaints that the soldiers had not killed enough of his opponents in return for the money he
had given them. As Allen observes ( Evagrius 108; though the emphasis at ibid. 9 is different),
Evagrius clearly preferred the Chalcedonian account, even though he does not explicitly
criticize Zachariah’s version.
111 Stilas (PLRE II. 1032-3) was presumably Dionysius’ successor as comes Aegypti; he
was still in Alexandria in 460. Leo banished two senior officials for their part in the death of
Proterius, the praefectus Augustalis Nicolaus and the dux Caesarius; the former also had his
property confiscated, while the latter’s tongue was cut out (Theodore Lector 372). For the
evidence of Theophanes (111:16-18), see Mango and Scott, Theophanes 171-2 n. 1, who
plausibly interpret it as a garbled version of Theodore (though their presentation of
PLRE s discussion of the sequence of comites Aegypti is confused: PLRE II. 364, s. v.
Dionysius 7, perhaps a native of Caesarea, to account for the evidence of Theodore;
1032-3, s. v. Stilas, notes but does not accept Theophanes’ evidence).
112 The emperor had initially contemplated convening another Ecumenical Council to
discuss the decisions of Chalcedon and consequent troubles, but was dissuaded by Anato¬
lius of Constantinople (who was concerned that the status of his see might be challenged);
cf. Theodore Lector 371-2. Instead discussions were to be held locally, in provincial synods,
to parallel the one which Anatolius is here directed to summon at Constantinople. A Latin
version of this encyclical is preserved at .4 CO II. v, no. 6.
The combination of questions about Chalcedon and the violent events at Alexandria gave
the bishops a strong indication of the response which Leo wanted (pace Grillmeier, Christ
II.1 202-10, who sees Leo’s behaviour as neutral, although he does accept that Anatolius
manipulated the responses in his own interests).
90
EVAGRIUS
Copy of the sacred letter of the most pious emperor Leo, sent to
Anatolius, Bishop of Constantinople, and to the metropolitans
throughout the entire universe and to other bishops.
The emperor Caesar Leo, pious, victorious, triumphant,
greatest, eternally revered, Augustus, to Bishop Anatolius. |60|
It was a matter of prayer for my piety that all the orthodox
most holy churches, and furthermore too the cities under the
Roman state should enjoy the greatest serenity and that nothing
should happen to disturb their order and tranquillity. But as to
what occurred recently in the city of the Alexandrians, we are con¬
fident that your holiness already knows. But so that you may be
more completely informed about everything, what reason there
was for such commotion and confusion, we have sent to your holi¬
ness the copies of the petitions which the most pious bishops and
clergy, who came to the royal city of Constantine from the afore¬
mentioned city and the Egyptian diocese, brought to my piety
against Timothy, as well as the copies of the petitions which
those who came from the city of the Alexandrians to our sacred
court on behalf of Timothy handed over to our serenity. The
purpose is so that your holiness can clearly learn what has been
done concerning the said Timothy, whom the populace of the
city of the Alexandrians, and the dignitaries, and the councillors,
and the shipowners request for themselves as bishop, 113 and con¬
cerning the other matters which are contained in the text of the
petitions, and, in addition to these, concerning the Synod at Chal-
cedon to which they by no means assent, as their appended peti¬
tions indicate. Accordingly, let your piety at once cause to
convene to yourself all the orthodox, holy bishops at the present
time residing in this royal city, and furthermore also the most
pious clerics. And when everything has been carefully examined
and investigated, since the city of Alexander, whose order and
quiet is a very great concern to us, is now in confusion, declare
your decision concerning the aforesaid Timothy and the [61]
113 As Festugiere observes (265 n. 77), this list progresses socially from the humiliores
through the honestiores to the men of political status and economic muscle.
Roman shipowners, navicularii, were organized into hereditary regional associations,
whose members owned property that underpinned (heir maritime duties; the powerful
Egyptian guild had the particular responsibility of organizing the transport of grain down
the Nile to Alexandria, and then on to Constantinople: see Jones, LRE 827-9.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
91
Synod at Chalcedon, 114 without any fear of man, and free from
favour or hostility, putting before your eyes only the fear of God
the Almighty, since you know that concerning this matter you
will give an account to the unsullied Divinity; hence, when we
have been fully informed about all things through your letters,
we may be able to give the appropriate decree.
This was his letter to Anatolius, and he wrote similarly to the other
bishops also, and, as I have said, to the more distinguished of those who
at that point of time were pursuing the life without possessions or prop¬
erty. Among these was Symeon, who first discovered the station on a
column, whom indeed we mentioned in the earlier history; the Syrians
Baradatus and Jacob were numbered among them. 115
10 Accordingly the bishop of elder Rome, Leo, was the first to write on
behalf of the Synod at Chalcedon and reject the appointment of
Timothy as having occurred illegally. The emperor Leo transmitted this
letter of Leo to Timothy the Alexandrian prelate, Diomedes the silen-
tiary carrying out the imperial orders; 116 Timothy replied to it, censuring
114 This last section of the letter is paraphrased at Zachariah iv.5.
115 On Symeon, the leading Holy Man in First Syria, see i.13-14 above, with notes. Bar¬
adatus (Theodoret, RH 27) and Jacob of Cyrrhus (Theodoret, RH 21 - more famous than
the Jacob in RH 25.2) were the other leading figures of Syrian monasticism, in Second Syria
and Euphratesia respectively: see Honigmann, Studies 92-100. They were cited along with
Symeon in the sixth century by the Patriarch Ephrem of Antioch (Photius, Bibliotheca, cod.
229 [248a], quoted by Festugiere 266 n. 78). Symeon and Baradatus sent replies to both Basil
of Antioch (see ii. 10 for Symeon’s letter) and to the Emperor Leo (^COII.v, no. 21 for Bar¬
adatus’ reply), while Jacob wrote only to the emperor.
116 Zachariah (iv.5) states that Pope Leo wrote two letters to the emperor, one dealing
with Timothy, and the other upholding the position of Proterius’ party; the latter included
criticisms of the Constantinopolitan clergy, and defended the Chalcedonian formula. These
can be identified with the Pope’s two responses to the emperor included in his collected
letters, though Zachariah has somewhat garbled their respective contents. Ep. 156, of
1 December 457 (A CO Il.iv, no. 97), deplores the state of affairs at Alexandria and criticizes
Anatolius and his clergy, but defers doctrinal exposition to a later letter; this was placed at
the head of the collected reactions to the emperor’s letter (ACO II.v, p. 24:29-30). Ep. 165, of
17 August 458 (ACO Il.iv, no. 104), sometimes known as Leo’s Second Tome, was devoted
not to Timothy but to a much longer, more learned and polished defence of the Chal¬
cedonian position; it was this second letter which was transmitted to Timothy for
comment. Evagrius has conflated Leo’s two letters (Schwartz, in A CO II.v, praef. p. XIII).
The silentiaries were 30 senior palace officials responsible for supervising some ceremo¬
nies within the palace and for arrangements at meetings of the imperial council. Diomedes:
nothing else is known about him (PLREII. 362, x.v. Diomedes 1).
92
EVAGRIUS
the Synod at Chalcedon and the letter of Leo. 117 The transcripts of these
are preserved in the so-called Encyclicals, but they have been passed
over by me so as not to introduce bulk into the present work. 118 And
while the bishops of the other cities stood by what had been formulated
at Chalcedon and condemned by a unanimous vote the ordination of
Timothy, Amphilochius of Side alone wrote a letter to the emperor
clamouring against the ordination of Timothy but not accepting the
Synod at Chalcedon. These matters indeed have been worked over by
Zachariah the rhetor, who has also incorporated the said letter of Amphi¬
lochius in his compilation. 119 Symeon of holy estate also wrote [62] two
letters about these events to the emperor Leo and to Basil, who was
bishop of the city of Antiochus. Of these I have included in my composi¬
tion the one to Basil as being succinct; 120 it runs something like this;
To my master the most holy and most saintly God-loving arch¬
bishop Basil, the sinful and wretched Symeon sends greetings in
the Lord.
117 Zachariah (iv.6) preserves most of the reply: in addition to flattering the emperor and
protesting his own loyalty, Timothy anathematized both Apollinarius and Nestorius and
proclaimed his adherence to the faith of Nicaea, which required no correction - but he also
explicitly disagreed with the decisions of Chalcedon. See Blaudeau, ‘Timothee’ 125-7.
118 Emperor Leo issued a collection of documents relevant to the position of Timothy in
(he so-called codex encyclius , though, not surprisingly, it did not contain Timothy’s re¬
sponse to Pope Leo’s accusations, as Evagrius seems to imply; a sixth-century Latin transla¬
tion of most of this collection survives ( Collectio Sangermanensis, ACO II.v, pp. 11-98:2).
There is a list of 65 addressees (62 metropolitans and three monks), and responses from a
further two addressees survive in the Coll. Sangermanensis which presents 43 replies signed
by about 280 bishops and monks. Photius states that 470 clerics subscribed ( Bihl. cod. 229;
vol. iv. 142, Henry), a number rounded up to 500 in the imperial collection ( ACO II.v, p. 98).
In view of its length and repetitiveness, Evagrius sensibly chose to omit this material, but cf.
also ii.4, p. 44:11-17 with n. 40 above, for his desire not to overload the narrative.
119 The abbreviated Syriac version of Zachariah paraphrases, but does not preserve, the
letter (iv.7); Allen, ‘Zachariah’ 476, was confident that Evagrius correctly reported Zachar-
iah’s contents, but this cannot be proved. The Latin translation of the codex encyclius, not
surprisingly, omits this anti-Chalcedonian response; extracts are quoted by Michael the
Syrian, ix.5, II. pp. 145-8. For Monophysites, Amphilochius’ subscription to any part of
Leo’s letter was tantamount to acceptance of the Council: Rufus, Plerophories 85, records a
vision of Epictetus, a Pamphylian archimandrite, who saw Amphilochius and Epiphanius of
Perge immersed in mud up to their necks as punishment for their adherence to the Council.
120 This letter was not a direct response to the emperor, and so was excluded from the
codex encyclius ; Evagrius probably derived it from the patriarchal records at Antioch
(Allen, Evagrius 110; though other aspects of this discussion of the monks’ letters are con¬
fused).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
93
Now, master, it is timely to say: ‘Blessed is God who did not set
aside our prayer and his mercy from us sinners.’ 121 For, after re¬
ceiving your holiness’ letters, I marvelled at the zeal and the
piety of our emperor, most beloved of God, towards the holy
Fathers and their firm faith, which he exhibited and exhibits; and
this is not a gift from us, as the holy apostle also says, 122 but
from God who granted him this goodwill through our prayers.
And after a little:
Wherefore I too, wretched and worthless, the abortion of the
monks, made known to his majesty my attitude concerning the
faith of the 630 holy Fathers who were gathered at Chalcedon,
standing by it and being fortified by what was made manifest by
the Holy Spirit. For if the Saviour is present amidst two or three
gathered in his name, 123 then how can the Holy Spirit not be
present amidst so many and so great holy Fathers. 124
And further on:
Wherefore be strong and be courageous with the true piety, just as
Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, was on behalf of
the people. 125 Accept my request to address on my behalf all the
devout clergy under your holiness, and the blessed and most faith¬
ful people. 126
|63] 11 For these reasons Timothy was condemned to exile, and he too
was ordered to inhabit the city of Gangra. 127 And so the Alexandrians
121 Psalms 65.20.
122 Ephesians 2.8-9.
123 Matthew 18.20.
124 None of the surviving records of the Council, though they are admittedly incom¬
plete, lists anything like 630 signatories (cf. n. 32 above), but the point of any exaggeration
is clear from Symeon’s allusion to their impressive unanimity.
125 Joshua 1.6.
126 The subservient tone of the letter was probably intended to smooth over the tensions
that existed between Ihe extravagant and independent stylite and the leader of the estab¬
lished Church in the region.
127 Following the death of Patriarch Anatolius (see n. 129 below), the emperor made a
further attempt to reach a compromise with Timothy, who, however, refused to accept the
Tome of Leo; in early 460 he was arrested and, like Dioscorus (ii.5), relegated to Gangra in
Paphlagonia. According to Zachariah (iv.9), he had to be dragged from the font in the
94
EVAGRIUS
appointed another Timothy as bishop to succeed Proterius; some called
him Basiliscus, others Salophacialus. 128 When Anatolius died, Gennadius
inherited the throne of the imperial city, and after him Acacius, who was
in charge of the hostel for orphans in the imperial city. 129
12 In the second year of the reign of Leo, an extraordinary quivering
and trembling of the earth occurred at the city of Antiochus; beforehand
certain things had been done by its populace, who were whipped up to
complete madness and surpassed the nature of any beast, as if to
provide a prelude to such troubles. Now, it was at its most severe in the
506th year of the grant of the city’s status, 130 at about the fourth hour
of the night, when the month of Gorpiaeus, which Romans call
September, was bringing in the fourteenth day, as the Lord’s day drew
on, in the eleventh year of the indiction cycle; 131 it is recorded to be the
baptistery, and his arrest provoked considerable unrest and killings in Alexandria; on his
journey north to the Black Sea he was honourably received at Beirut and other cities. Since
he persisted in writing against the Council of Chalcedon, Timothy was transferred in 464 to
Cherson, on the north shore of the Black Sea, and he remained there until recalled by the
anti-Chalcedonian usurper Basiliscus in 475 (Zachariah iv. 11-12).
128 Spring 460; the nickname basilikos denotes that he was the emperor’s patriarch
(Bardy in Fliche and Martin, IV. 284 n. 2); Salophacialus, ‘White turban’ or perhaps
‘Wobble-cap’ (Frend, Rise 163), might refer to his actual headwear or, according to his
enemies, to the flexibility of his doctrinal position (Zachariah iv.10). Theodore Lector 379
(= Theophanes 128:8-11) describes him as an ascetic who was loved by everyone.
129 Anatolius died on 3 July 458. Gennadius had a reputation as a theologian, and his
staunch Chalcedonian position is shown by the fact that he produced an encomium of Leo’s
Tome; he had also attacked the Twelve Chapters of Cyril, an indication of his adherence to
Antiochene Christology. Gennadius died on 20 November 471, and in February 472 was
succeeded by Acacius, who was less rigidly Chalcedonian.
130 I.e. the Era of Antioch, which was calculated from 1 October 49 BC, marking the
grant of autonomy to the city by Julius Caesar; at some point in the late fifth century the
start of the Era was changed to 1 September, to accord with the indiction year, but the ear¬
liest evidence for this is an inscription of 483 (Grumel, Clironologie 194).
The popular disturbances probably refer to rioting by the circus factions, which is not
otherwise attested (though there are long accounts of comparable riots from later in the
century: e.g. Malalas in Exc. delnsid. 35, pp. 166:29-167:20).
131 The date of this earthquake is a minor but complex problem. The obvious source for
Evagrius’ detailed chronological calculation is Malalas, to whom Evagrius refers (cf. ii. 12 at
n. 137 below), but all that survives of his date is 'at dawn, on Sunday 13th September, in the
year 506 according to the Era of Antioch, during the consulship of Patricius’ (Malalas
369:6-8). Because of confusions over the start of the local Era, the Antiochene date can be
made to fit either 457 or 458, while the consulship of Patricius indicates 459; there is a long
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
95
sixth, 132 after 347 years had elapsed from that which occurred under
Trajan: for that one occurred when the city was enjoying the 159th year
of its autonomy, 133 whereas that under Leo in the 506th, as is expounded
by diligent men. Now this quake overthrew almost all the buildings of
the New City, which was very heavily populated and had no empty or
totally neglected space, but rather had been exceptionally adorned by
the liberality of emperors who competed with each other. Of the palace
the first and second buildings were overthrown, but the others survived
together with the adjacent bath which, |64] whereas previously unused,
because of the disaster in fact bathed the city; this was necessary
because of what befell the other baths. It also overthrew the colonnades
in front of the palace and the nearby Tetrapylon, and in the Hippodrome
the towers at the doors and some of the nearby colonnades. 134 In the old
city collapse did not affect the colonnades or buildings at all, but small
parts of the baths of Trajan, Severus and Hadrian were shaken and
collapsed. 135 And it threw down parts of the so-called neighbourhood
of Ostrakine, as well as the colonnades, and it cast down the
Nymphaeum, as it was called. 136 The details about each of these are
discussion by Downey, Antioch 476-81, 597-604; also Grumel, Chronologic 194; Festu-
giere, Antioche 365-8. September of the eleventh indiction points to 457, but the other in¬
dications, especially Leo’s second year and Sunday the 14th denote 458, which is to be
preferred.
132 In Malalas (369:6) it is reckoned as the fourth.
133 Malalas (275:3-10) dated this earthquake to year 164 of the Era of Antioch, AD 115;
the origin of Evagrius’ error is unknown.
134 For discussion of the buildings destroyed, see Downey, Antioch 476-80. The New
City was located on an island in the Orontes; it was dominated by a large imperial palace
and adjacent Hippodrome, both of which were approached by colonnaded streets running
north-south; the palace was divided into four quarters, like that of Diocletian at Split, and
the first two buildings probably refer to the quarters adjacent to the main entrance; the Tet¬
rapylon was located at the intersection between the colonnade approaching the palace and a
major east-west street. Although the island was heavily built up, its population may not
have been large, since the palace was not in use (to the extent that a Holy Man pitched his
tent outside the entrance: Rufus, Plerophories 88).
135 The location of these baths is not known.
136 Evagrius is the only source to mention the Ostrakine quarter (also at vi.8), probably
the Potters’ area, and its location is unknown; Antioch’s famous Nymphaeum, a shrine to
the Nymphs which would have contained some water feature, was located near the intersec¬
tion of the main colonnaded streets in the old city, but there were several such shrines in the
city and Evagrius appears to be referring to one in the Ostrakine (Downey, Antioch 478).
96
EVAGRIUS
carefully recorded by John the rhetor. 131 He then says that a thousand
talents of gold were remitted to the city from the taxes by the emperor,
while to the citizens the dues on what had been obliterated in the misfor¬
tune; 138 he also attended to the public buildings.
13 There were occurrences similar to this, 139 or even more terrible, in
Constantinople, the beginning of the evil being in the seaward part of
the city, which they call Bosporon. 140 The story is that at the hour for
lighting lamps a certain wicked and vengeful demon in the likeness of a
woman (or indeed a real woman, a paid worker, stung by a demon - for
both versions are current) carried a lamp to the bazaar to buy some
pickles, but when the lamp had been put down the woman slipped away.
The fire caught hold of some hemp, it sent up a huge flame and burnt the
building quicker than the telling. From there the adjacent buildings
were easily obliterated, with the fire engulfing not only what was highly
inflammable but even buildings of stone; since it continued until the
fourth day and overcame all resistance, all the most central part of the
city from the northern to the southern region was consumed, as much as
five stades in length and fourteen stades in breadth. 141 As a result,
nothing in between was left |65] of either public or private buildings,
neither columns nor stone arches, but all hardened materials were burnt
up as if they had been something highly combustible. In the northern
region, where the city’s dockyards are also situated, this misfortune
occurred from the so-called Bosporon as far as the ancient temple of
137 No details of Malalas’ account survive, apart from the date and a brief mention of
imperial generosity (369:5-9).
138 Festugiere, 270 n. 84 with 265 n. 77, translated 7toA,rcEnTai (‘citizens’) as ‘decurions’
(i curiales , councillors), who would have been relieved of the municipal obligations attached
to properties which had suffered damage. This is possible, but after natural disasters it was
normal for emperors to grant general tax relief to the affected area as well as supply funds
from public revenues.
139 The following chapter provides by far the most detailed account of this great fire (cf.
also Cedrenus vol. 1.609:23-611:4; Zonaras xiv. 1.14-19; and for a prediction, Life of Daniel
41); Evagrius’ information must have originated in a good contemporary source, and
Blockley plausibly included this chapter in his edition of Priscus as fr. [42],
The standard date is 2-6 September 465, but Chron. Pasch. 595:2-3 locates the fire in
indiction 3 and states that 2 September was a Wednesday, factors which both point to 464.
140 The region at the mouth of the Golden Horn, near the Prosphorion harbour, named
for its proximity to the Ox-crossing of the mythical Io.
141 An area of one km by almost three km. Chron. Pasch. 595:1-2 records that eight of
the city regions were burnt.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
97
Apollo, while in the south from the harbour of Julian as far as houses lying
not far from the oratory of the Church named Concord, and in the
midmost part of the city from the Forum with the appellation Constantine
as far as the market called that of Taurus, a spectacle pitiful and most
hateful to all. 142 For all the beauties which rose above the city, whether
embellished to unrivalled magnificence, or answering to public or private
needs, were instantly transformed into mountains and hills impossible to
traverse or cross and filled with every kind of material, confounding the
previous appearance. Hence not even the inhabitants were able to know
what or where the place of the previous buildings happened to be.
14 At the same time, while a Scythian war was in progress against the
eastern Romans, the lands of Thrace and the Hellespont were shaken, as
well as Ionia and the islands called Cyclades, with the result that much of
Cnidus and of the Cretan island was levelled. 143 And Priscus narrates
that there were extraordinary rains in Constantinople and the province
of Bithynia, since for three or four days water poured like a torrent from
heaven; and that mountains were levelled into plains, that villages were
inundated and destroyed, and that islands even appeared in the lake of
Boane, not far distant from Nicomedia, from the multitude of rubbish
that was accumulated in it. But these things occurred later. 144 166|
142 On the northern side of the city the fire spread from the harbour area (Theophanes
112:19-24 mentions the Neorion dockyard) up to the Acropolis where the former temple of
Apollo stood; on the south it stretched from the harbour of Julian (Theophanes mentions
the nearby Church of S. Thomas) west to the Church of Concord, Homonoia, located in the
ninth region (Janin, Eglises 382); the Forum Tauri was a synonym for the Forum of Theo¬
dosius, which, like that of Constantine, was located on the Mese, Constantinople’s main
thoroughfare.
143 The date is uncertain. M. Henry, cited in Mango and Scott, Theophanes 150, n. 1 ad.
A.M. 5934, speculates that the tremors should be dated to Theodosius IFs reign and linked
with the quake on Crete recorded by Malalas 359:15-18; this is possible, although there is no
reason to doubt that the same area might have been struck by earthquakes a couple of
decades apart. The Scythian war may refer to attacks by Attila’s son, Dengizich, who was
fighting the Romans in 467 and again in 469. Fest ugiere (271 n. 88, following Stein) attributed
the destruction in Thrace to these Huns and that in the Aegean area to Vandals who raided
the eastern Mediterranean in 467; but there is no mention here of Vandals, and the language
of shaking and levelling is more appropriate to an earthquake. The chapter continues with
other natural disasters, which also suggests that the first part describes an earthquake.
144 Blockley, Historians II. 354-6 printed the whole of this chapter as Priscus fr. 48.2,
though admitting (397) that, strictly, Evagrius’ reference to Priscus only relates to the
deluge; there is no other evidence to allow the deluge to be dated.
98
EVAGRIUS
15 Through his daughter Ariadne Leo acquired as son-in-law Zeno, who
had been called Aricmesius from the cradle but on marriage also
obtained the nomenclature of one of the Isaurians who had risen to
great fame and was called this. The beginning of the promotion of this
Zeno and the reason why he was preferred to all others by Leo have
been expounded by Eustathius the Syrian. 145
16 As a result of an embassy from the western Romans, Anthemius was
dispatched as emperor of Rome; Marcian, who had till recently been
emperor, had betrothed his own daughter to him. 146 Basiliscus, the
brother of Leo’s wife Verina, was dispatched as general against Geiseric
with armies that had been assembled on grounds of quality. 147 These
events have been most accurately elaborated by Priscus the rhetor, as
well as how Leo got the better of Aspar by treachery, as if granting a
reward for his own advancement, and slew the man who had bestowed
on him his rule, as well as his sons Ardabur and Patricius; the latter he
had previously made Caesar in order to acquire Aspar’s support. 149
145 The future emperor Zeno (PLRE II. 1200-2, s.v. Zenon 7) had come to imperial
notice in 466 when he provided evidence to prove the treason of the general Ardabur, the
son of Aspar who currently dominated the eastern empire. One reward was an imperial
marriage, and he civilized his name by taking that of a fellow Isaurian who had become
consul and patrician under Theodosius II (PLRE II. 1199-1200, s. v. Zenon 6); Zeno’s origi¬
nal name had probably been Tarasicodissa. Leo patronized Zeno to offset the influence of
Aspar, and his ability to recruit warlike Isaurians was the key factor that enabled Leo to
challenge the Germanic control of much of the Roman army. Zeno was appointed magister
militum per Thracias in 467/ 8, and then per Orient em in 469.
Cf. Evagrius i. 19 for a reference to Eustathius of Epiphania.
146 Anthemius, western emperor 467-72, had married Marcian’s daughter, Euphemia:
PLRE II. 96-8, s. v. Anthemius 3.
147 In response to Vandal attacks on Greece and the Aegean islands in the 460s, Leo
organized a massive campaign in which an eastern armada was to link up with western
forces, while an army marched from Egypt towards Carthage. In spite of initial successes,
the expedition was an expensive failure when Geiseric used fire ships to disrupt Basiliscus’
fleet; the cost is variously recorded, the minimum total being a massive 63,000 pounds of
gold plus 700,000 pounds of silver (Hendy, Studies 221-3). Basiliscus (PLRE II. 212-14,
s. v. Basiliscus 2) was alleged to have been bribed by Geiseric, and was only saved from pun¬
ishment by his sister’s intervention.
148 Priscus is accepted as the source for the account in Procopius ( Wars iii.6.1—2, 5-25).
149 The Alan Aspar (PLRE II. 164-9) had dominated the eastern court since the start of
Marcian’s reign, and both Marcian and Leo had served under his command, but the family
was overthrown in 471, being killed inside the Great Palace at a meeting of the imperial
council.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
99
After the slaughter of Anthemius, who was in his fifth year as emperor of
Rome, Olybrius was proclaimed emperor by Ricimer, and after him
Glycerius was appointed emperor. Nepos expelled him after his fifth
year and controlled the Roman realm, while he appointed Glycerius as
bishop in Salona, a city in Dalmatia; 150 he was expelled by Orestes, and
after him that man’s son Romulus surnamed Augustulus, who was the
last to be emperor of Rome, 1303 |67] years after the kingship of
Romulus. After him Odoacer took Roman affairs in hand, rejecting for
himself the imperial appellation but calling himself king. 151
17 At this time Leo the emperor in Byzantium put aside imperial power,
after steering this for seventeen years and having appointed as emperor
Patricius (PLRE II. 842-3, s. v. Patricius 15) was appointed Caesar in 470, and married to
Leo’s daughter, Leontia, in 471; Candidus records that he was wounded but survived his
injuries.
150 Anthemius was killed on 11 July 472, after a conflict with his son-in-law Ricimer.
Olybrius, husband of Valentinian Ill’s younger daughter, Placidia, had been sent from Con¬
stantinople in 472 to make peace between Ricimer and Anthemius, but instead was pro¬
claimed emperor himself in April; he died on 2 November 472.
Glycerius (PLRE II. 514) in fact reigned for 15 months (March 473 to June 474): inTheo-
phanes he is credited with five months (119:14-15; but eight in John of Antioch fr. 209), so
that Evagrius may have mistaken months for years in his source; alternatively, the text may
be corrupt. The MSS describe Glycerius as bishop of Romans at Salona, but, like Festugiere
(273 n. 95), I have accepted the suggestion of Valesius (cited with favour in Bidez-Parmen-
tier’s apparatus) that ‘Romans’ should be advanced to qualify ‘realm’. Cf. ii.7, p. 55:4-8, for
confusion about the western succession.
Nepos (PLRE II. 777-8, s. v. Nepos 3) was sent by Leo in 474 to depose Glycerius, and was
proclaimed emperor in June; he retired to Dalmatia in August 475.
151 Orestes (PLRE II. 811-12, s.v. Orestes 2) was commander of the Italian army, but
rebelled against Nepos and proclaimed his son Romulus as emperor (PLRE II. 949-50,
.s. v. Romulus 4); Augustulus, ‘little Augustus’, referred to Romulus’ youth. Orestes was
killed on 28 August 476 by the Scirian Odoacer (PLRE II. 791-3), who commanded the
tribal contingents in the western army; he had already been proclaimed rex (‘king’) by his
troops on 23 August.
The calculation gives the date of 828 BC for the kingship of Romulus, i.e. considerably
too early for the traditional date of Rome’s foundation in 753 BC. For discussion of
Byzantine views on the fall of (he western empire, see Croke ‘A.D. 476’, especially at
117-18, who accepts the attribution of Evagrius’ date to Eustathius. Evagrius credits
Eustathius with a different computation, associated with the proclamation of Anastasius
in 491 (iii.29 with n. 92 below); this records the years from Romulus as 1052, much lower
than the figure here which has probably been miscopied by Evagrius or corrupted in
transmission.
100
EVAGRIUS
Leo, son of his own daughter Ariadne and Zeno, although he was an
infant. After him his father Zeno donned the purple garb, since Verina,
the wife of Leo, collaborated with her son-in-law. When the child died
after a short time, Zeno remained alone in control of the sovereignty. 152
As to what was done by him or against him, and everything else that
happened, what ensues will reveal, if the higher power assents.
End of the second book
18 The enactments at the Synod convened in Chalcedon are, as it were in
epitome, as follows: 153
Bishops Pascasinus and Lucensius and presbyter Boniface deputized
for Leo, archbishop of the elder Rome; Anatolius who was prelate of
the city of Constantine and Dioscorus Bishop of the Alexandrians’ city,
and in turn Maximus of Antioch and Juvenal of Jerusalem, and their
attendant bishops; present with these were those who occupy the
eminences of the exalted senate. To these Leo’s deputies said that
Dioscorus ought not to be seated with them, for this Leo had enjoined
on them; or if this did not happen, they themselves would move outside
152 Leo I died on 18 January 474; his grandson, Leo II, who was born in 467, had already
been proclaimed Caesar in October 473, but died in November 474. In the Life of Daniel the
Stylite (67), the senate is credited with the initiative in Zeno’s elevation.
153 The following epitome of the Chalcedonian acta, occupying 26 pages of the Greek
text, is devoted mainly to the first six sessions of the Council, though the major events of the
later sessions are briefly noted. The intention was to emphasize that Dioscorus was deposed
justly (here Evagrius repeats three important conciliar texts already quoted in ii.4), and that
(he Chalcedonian doctrinal formula was in accord wilh Cyril of Alexandria’s views and
had, after much debate, received widespread and voluntary support.
Allen, ‘Zachariah’ 485 and Evagrius 113-18, claimed that Zachariah’s Ecclesiastical
History originally contained an analogous epitome of proceedings in an appendix. The
only evidence for this is in the chapter headings to the Syriac epitome (ps.-Zachariah),
where Book iii is accorded a thirteenth chapter which is not preserved in the text (see Ha¬
milton and Brooks p. 40 n. 2). Brooks, however, correctly dismissed this entry as a duplicate
for the heading to iii.l (in CSCO 87, p. 101 n. 3). The epitome of Chalcedon at Michael the
Syrian viii.10, II. pp. 37-69, in fact undermines Allen’s argument (Evagrius 116): Michael’s
chapter begins with a section explicitly attributed to Zachariah (viii.10.1. pp. 37-8), but the
remainder diverges from Zachariah’s presentation (e.g. Dioscorus’ letter to Secundinus,
prominent in Zach. iii.l, is not mentioned); the next chapter (viii.ll) provides a version of
Rufus’ Plerophories, after which Michael signals his return to Zachariah (viii. 12, p. 88).
Michael’s summary makes the most of procedural wrangles at the Council to damage its
collective authority, defends Dioscorus, and insists on the need to preserve the decisions of
Nicaea without change.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
101
the church. And when the senate enquired what were the charges against
Dioscorus, they declared that Dioscorus ought to give an account of his
own judgement, since he had taken up the guise of judge contrary to
propriety, 168| without the injunction of the controller of the bishopric
of Rome. After this had been said, and Dioscorus had been seated in the
central place by a judgement of the senate, Eusebius, the bishop of
Dorylaeum, requested that the petitions delivered by him to the sover¬
eignty be read out, saying this, word for word: ‘I have been wronged by
Dioscorus, the faith has been wronged. Bishop Flavian was murdered
and together with me was unjustly deposed by him; command that my
petitions be read out.’ When it had been resolved that this be done, the
petition obtained a reading; it was expressed in the following phrases: 154
From Eusebius, the most lowly bishop of Dorylaeum, who is
making the speech on behalf of himself, and of the orthodox
faith, and of Flavian, the former bishop of Constantinople, who
is with the saints.
It is an objective of your might to take forethought for all sub¬
jects and to stretch a hand to all who are wronged, but especially
to those who minister in the priesthood, and in this they serve the
Divinity by whom the imperial power and rule over human
affairs is granted to you. Accordingly, since the faith in Christ
and we ourselves have suffered many outrages contrary to all
due order from Dioscorus, the most devout bishop of the Alexan¬
drian megalopolis, we are approaching your piety, asking to
obtain justice.
The facts of the matter are as follows: at the Synod which re¬
cently occurred at the Ephesians’ metropolis - would indeed that
it had never occurred, so that it did not fill the whole world with
evils and confusion - the good Dioscorus, setting at nought con¬
sideration of justice and fear of God, being of the same doctrine
and the same mind as the foolish-minded and heretical Eutyches,
as he subsequently revealed himself, but being undetected by the
multitude, using as an opportunity the accusation made by me
against Eutyches, his fellow in doctrine, and the sentence brought
against him by Bishop Flavian of holy estate, after assembling a
154 The opening proceedings in which Eusebius formally attacked Dioscorus (pp. 67:19-
69:25) are repeated from pp. 42:3-44:11, with some differences of wording.
102
EVAGRIUS
multitude of unruly crowds and |69| furnishing strength for
himself through money, he polluted the pious worship of the
orthodox, as far as was in his power, and corroborated the false
doctrine of Eutyches the monk, which had from before and from
the beginning been repudiated by the holy Fathers. Accordingly,
since his affronts against the faith in Christ and against us are not
minor, we request and prostrate ourselves before your might to
decree that the same most devout bishop Dioscorus should make
a defence against our accusations against him: namely that when
the records of what had been done by him against us are read out
at the holy Synod, by means of these we can reveal that he is
indeed alienated from the orthodox faith, that he strengthened a
heresy which is filled with impiety, and that he unjustly deposed
us and effected terrible things on us; this will be achieved once
your sacred and adored instructions are sent to the holy and ecu¬
menical Synod of the bishops, most beloved by God, to the effect
that they should listen carefully to us and the aforesaid Dioscorus,
and refer all the transactions to the cognizance of your piety, in ac¬
cordance with the opinion of your immortal supremacy. And if we
obtain this we shall send up incessant prayers on behalf of your
eternal might, most sacred emperors.
Accordingly, by common petition of Dioscorus and Eusebius, 155 the
transactions of the Second Synod at Ephesus were publicized by being
read out; through these it was revealed that the letter of Leo was not read
out, and that too although a proposition concerning this had been
brought in once or twice. When Dioscorus was requested to state the
reason for this, he asserted that he proposed this once or twice, and he
requested that Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, and Thalassius of Caesarea,
first city of Cappadocia, should provide elucidation concerning these
matters, since they too held the presidency with him. And so Juvenal said
that since an imperial communication took precedence he had proposed
that the other should be demoted in the reading, but that subsequently
170] no one mentioned the letter, while Thalassius said that he had not
prevented this from being read but that he had not possessed sufficient
authority to enable him alone to decide that the reading proceed. 156
155 ACO Il.i.l, p. 67:20-6.
156 ACO Il.i.l, pp. 82:27-85:5.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
103
Accordingly, as the reading of the transactions proceeded, and when
some of the bishops attacked certain passages as forgeries, Stephen, the
prelate of the city of the Ephesians, was asked which of his notaries had
participated at that time; he declared that Julian, who subsequently
became bishop of Lebedus, and Crispinus had been notaries for him;
but the notaries of Dioscorus had not permitted this to happen, but had
even seized the notaries’ fingers, so that they were in danger indeed of
suffering most grievously. Then the same Stephen deposed that on one
and the same day he subscribed to the removal of Flavian. To this
Acacius, Bishop of Ariarathia, added that all had signed a blank parch¬
ment under compulsion and necessity, since they were surrounded by
countless evils, and soldiers beset them with murderous weapons. 157
Then again, when another statement had been read, Theodore,
Bishop of Claudiopolis, said that no one had uttered these things. 158 As
the reading was thus progressing, when a particular place contained the
declaration of Eutyches, ‘And those who say that the flesh of God and
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ came down from heaven’, 159 the
record stated that Eusebius declared with regard to this that he had said
the phrase ‘from heaven’, but had not added from where; and Diogenes,
Bishop of Cyzicus, persisted, ‘From where then, speak?’, and they had
not been permitted to enquire beyond this. 160
Then the same transactions show that Basil, Bishop of Seleucia in
Isauria, said: ‘I adore our one Lord 171] Jesus Christ, the Son of God the
only Divine Word, who after the incarnation and the union was made
157 ACO Il.i.l, p. 87:8-88:16. Dioscorus’ defence against the charge of forgery was that
each bishop had his own notaries; the notaries of the host bishop would be responsible for
the official acta, but each participant could verify their accuracy. Theophanes 100:18-20
reports that Dioscorus did not permit other secretaries to attend; cf. the acta of the
Council of Aquileia in 381, when Palladius objected that his opponents had provided the
only exceptores, stenographers (Gesta 43, pp. 362-3). For the pressure to sign at Ephesus,
cf. Theophanes 101:1-2.
158 ACO Il.i.l, p. 89:22-23. Theodore objected to acclamations in favour of Dioscorus’
position.
159 In the acta of the Council, Eutyches is in fact pronouncing an anathema on these
people.
160 ACO Il.i.l, p. 92:5-17. According to the acta Eusebius asserted that Eutyches had
avoided (EtjjuyE: BEL 320 ‘discarded’ translates this, rather than Evagrius’ sipf|K8i) saying
‘from heaven’, so that the anathema was broader. Evagrius has misrepresented the point of
Eusebius’ objection, which was meant to highlight errors in the Eutychian Christology
which Dioscorus had upheld.
104
EVAGRIUS
known in two natures;’ and at this the Egyptians cried out, ‘Let nobody
separate the indivisible, one must not say that the one Son is two’, while
the Easterners shouted, ‘Anathema on the one who divides, anathema
on the one who distinguishes!’ 161 The same transactions say that when
Eutyches was asked if he said that there were two natures in Christ, he
said that he knew Christ as being from two natures before the union but
after the union as one; that Basil said that, if he did not declare that the
two natures were indivisible and inseparable after the union, he was
declaring separation and confusion; if, however, he added ‘incarnate
and made human’ and conceived the incarnation and being made
human exactly like Cyril, he would say the same as them, for the Divinity
from the Father was one thing, while the humanity from the mother was
another. 162
And so when they were asked for what reason they subscribed to the
deposition of Flavian, the records reveal that the Easterners shouted:
‘We all erred, we all ask forgiveness.’ 163 Then again as the reading
progressed it revealed that the bishops were asked for what reason they
did not give permission to Eusebius when he wanted to enter. To this
Dioscorus said that Elpidius 164 produced a memorandum which
confirmed that the emperor Theodosius ordered that Eusebius should
not receive admission. The transactions reveal that Juvenal also said the
same. Thalassius, however, said that he did not have the authority. This
was condemned by the officials since this was no defence when faith was
at stake. To this the proceedings reveal that Dioscorus complained,
declaring, ‘How are the canons being preserved now that Theodoret is
present?’, and that the |72| senate pronounced that Theodoret was
present as accuser. Dioscorus indicated that he was sitting in the position
of bishop, and the senate again said that both Eusebius and Theodoret
occupied the position of accusers, just as Dioscorus indeed was allocated
the position of defendant. 165
161 ACO Il.i.l, pp. 92:30-93:6. Basil had expounded the formula ‘in two natures’ which
became the key to the Chalcedonian definition (cf. ii.5 with n. 84 above), to which the Mono-
physite Egyptian bishops naturally objected; the eastern contingent, the bishops dependent
on Antioch and their supporters, then turned the objection against the Monophysites.
162 ACO Il.i.l. p. 93:27-39.
163 ACO Il.i.l, p. 94:1-19.
164 One of the two secular officials in charge of proceedings at Second Ephesus, cf. i. n.
93 above.
165 ACO Il.i.l, pp. 96:28-97:14.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
105
Thus when all the transactions of the Second Synod at Ephesus had
been read, and its specific sentence against Flavian and Eusebius was
likewise read, 166 at the words. Then Bishop Hilary stated’, the bishops
of the East and those with them shouted: ‘Anathema on Dioscorus. At
the very moment that he deposed, at that very moment was he deposed.
Holy Lord, You avenge him. Orthodox emperor, you avenge him.
Many years for Leo. Many years for the patriarch.’ 167 Then, when the
next parts were also read out which reveal that all the assembled
bishops consented to the deposition of Flavian and Eusebius, 168 the
most illustrious officials proposed as follows, word for word: 169
Concerning the orthodox and universal faith we resolve that it is
necessary to make a more precise investigation at the next oppor¬
tunity, when the assembly is more complete. But as for Flavian
of pious memory and Eusebius the most devout bishop, from ex¬
amination of what was done and decided and from the very
words of those who were leaders of the Council then, who stated
that they were mistaken and had deposed those men invalidly,
since they are revealed to have been unjustly deposed in that they
committed no error concerning the faith, it seems to us to be just,
in accordance with the pleasure of God, if it is upheld by our
most sacred and pious master, that upon Dioscorus, the most
devout bishop of Alexandria, and Juvenal, the most devout
bishop of Jerusalem, |73| and Thalassius, the most devout
bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Eusebius, the most
devout bishop of Armenia, and Eustathius, the most devout
bishop of Beirut, and Basil, the most devout bishop of Seleucia
in Isauria, who had held authority and were leaders at the Synod
then, the same penalty should be inflicted by the holy Synod: in
accordance with the canons, these men should be estranged from
the dignity of bishop, and all consequentials should be decided
by the sacred eminence.
At this the Easterners cried out: ‘This decision is just.’ The bishops of
Illyria roared out: ‘We have all gone astray, we all request forgiveness.’
166 ACO Il.i.l, p. 191:9-28.
167 ACO Il.i.l. p. 191:30-6; Hilary said ‘contradicitur’.
168 ACOll.iA, pp. 192:3-195:9.
169 ACO Il.i.l, p. 195:10-24, already quoted by Evagrius at pp. 44.26^15:15.
106
EVAGRIUS
And after the Easterners again cried out, ‘This vote is just. Christ
deposed the murderer, God avenged the martyrs’, 170 the senators
proposed that each of the assembled bishops should individually
expound their personal faith, while recognizing that the most sacred
emperor believed in accord with the exposition of the 318 Fathers at
Nicaea and the 150, and the letters of the holy Fathers Gregory, Basil,
Hilary, Athanasius, Ambrose as well as the two of Cyril which were
made public at the First Synod at Ephesus; 171 for indeed it was on these
grounds too that Leo, the most devout bishop of elder Rome, deposed
Eutyches. 172
Accordingly, after this assembly was indeed terminated thus, the
most holy bishops were alone assembled for a second one; 173 and Euse¬
bius, the bishop of Dorylaeum, presented depositions on behalf of
himself and Flavian, in which he reproached Dioscorus for holding the
same opinions as Eutyches and because he had deprived them of the
priesthood. 174 He added that Dioscorus had indeed inserted in the
records words which had not been uttered at the Synod which had been
convened then, and that I74| he had arranged for them to subscribe to
blank papers. And he requested that everything which had been trans¬
acted at the Second Synod at Ephesus be annulled by the vote of those
assembled, and that they should have the priesthood, and that the foul
doctrine of that man should be anathematized. 175 After this was read he
170 The Illyrian bishops pick up the recent chant of the Easterners (p. 71:19-20), though
with a different purpose. It is noticeable that the Illyrian contingent, though from a diocese
controlled by the Pope, are vociferous both in their demands for the reinstatement of Dios¬
corus and in their doubts about the doctrinal exposition in the Tome of Pope Leo. The East¬
erners, however, were content that the majority of bishops at Second Ephesus had now been
exonerated and only the leaders at the Council punished; they were willing to allow all of
these to be pardoned, except for Dioscorus, on whom they were determined to gain revenge.
171 Cyril’s second and third letters to Nestorius were read at First Ephesus: cf. i.4 with n.
36 above. It is possible, however, that Cyril’s subsequent letter to John of Antioch, which
was read out at the second session of Chalcedon (see below ii. 18 at n. 195), is meant instead
of the third letter to Nestorius.
172 To reinforce the doctrinal message of his Tome, Leo had appended a florilegium,
which contained extracts from Hilary, Gregory of Nazianzus, Ambrose, John Chrysostom,
Augustine and Cyril (ACO Il.i.l, pp. 20:6-25:6).
173 In fact the third session, of 13 October; cf. n. 45 above.
174 ACO II.i.2,pp. 8:35-9:32.
175 Presumably of Dioscorus, not Eutyches (Festugiere’s preference, p. 278); the latter
had already been anathematized.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
107
asked that his adversary should also be present. 176 When it had been
proposed that this happen, Aetius, the archdeacon and primicerius of
the notaries, stated that he had gone across to Dioscorus just as he had
done to the others, but that he had said that he was not permitted by the
men guarding him to appear. And it was proposed that Dioscorus
should be sought outside the gathering. 177 And since he was not found,
Anatolius, the bishop of Constantinople, proposed that he ought to be
summoned and appear at the Synod. 178 And when this happened those
who had been dispatched stated, after their reappearance, that he said:
‘I am under guard. Let them say if they permit me to depart.’ And those
who had been sent said to him that they had been dispatched to him, not
to the magistriani, and they recounted that he said: ‘I am ready to
appear at the holy and ecumenical Synod, but I am being prevented.’ To
this Himerius added that, 179 as they were departing from Dioscorus, the
assistant to the master of the sacred offices met them, and that with him
the bishops again went to Dioscorus, and that he had certain shorthand
notes concerning this. 180 When these were read out they revealed that
Dioscorus said as follows, word for word:
After personal reflection and consideration of what is beneficial, I
give this answer. Since the most magnificent officials who were
conveners at the Synod before this one determined many things
after much discussion about each one, but I am now summoned
to a second Synod for the demolition of the aforementioned, I
176 Request for Dioscorus to attend: ACO II.i.2, pp. 9:33-10:9.
177 Festugiere (278, with n. 107) translated this as ‘... to seek him to escort him as far as
the entrance to the assembly’, the point being to obviate Dioscorus’ excuse that he was a
prisoner and afraid to go outside. However, the acta make clear that the bishops suspected
that Dioscorus might be lurking somewhere in the complex of S. Euphemia: ACO II.i.2, pp.
9:40-10:9.
In the secular establishment the first person (primicerius ) on the list of shorthand writers
or notaries was a man of considerable power and distinction (Jones, LRE 573-5); from
Aetius’ title it is clear that the religious hierarchy adopted this model.
178 First summons of Dioscorus: ACO II.i.2, pp. 10:10-12:3. Like Nestorius at First
Ephesus, and Eutyches at Constantinople in 448, Dioscorus decided that it was better to
absent himself from a meeting at which he was likely to be condemned.
179 Himerius was a notary attached to the delegation of bishops to ensure that there was
a precise record of important exchanges.
180 The magistriani ('master’s men’), or agentes in rebus, were controlled by th emagister
officiorum (‘master of the offices’), so that his assistant ( adiutor: his name was Eleusinius)
could give orders to the guards; Dioscorus’ first excuse was revealed to be invalid.
108
EVAGRIUS
request that the most magnificent officials who earlier partici¬
pated in the Synod |75| and the sacred senate should now too be
present, so that the same matters may be tackled again. 181
To this the transactions reveal that Acacius retorted as follows, word
for word: The holy and great Synod did not thus order your holiness to
be present so that what was done by the most magnificent officials and
by the sacred senate might be demolished, but it dispatched us so that
you might attend the senate and your holiness not be absent from it.’
Dioscorus said to him, as the records state: ‘You have said to me now
that Eusebius has presented depositions. I again request that the
matters against me should be assessed in the presence of the officials
and the senate.’
Then, after other similar intervening matters, 182 there were again
dispatched men with the duty of urging the said Dioscorus to be present
at the proceedings. 183 And after this happened, those who had been sent
returned and stated that they had his speech as notes, which revealed
that he said:
I have already made known to your piety that I am indeed de¬
tained by sickness, and I demand that both the most magnificent
officials and the holy senate should now too be present for the jud¬
gement of the matters under investigation. But since the business
of my sickness has intensified, it is for this reason that I have
made this delay.
And the records reveal that Cecropius said to Dioscorus that he had not
previously said anything about sickness; therefore he ought to do what
was required by the canons. Dioscorus replied to him: ‘I have said once
and for all that the officials ought to be present.’
Then Rufinus, Bishop of Samosata, said to him that the proceedings
were organized in accordance with the canons, and that when he
appeared he would be able to go through in detail whatever he wanted.
181 Although Dioscorus was indulging in delaying tactics, there was some justification
for this request since the senatorial officials subsequently pointed out that Dioscorus had
been deposed without their, or the emperor’s, knowledge (pp. 87:31-88:1).
182 ACO II.i.2, p. 12:4-29. Eusebius ensured that Dioscorus’ excuses were recorded in
(he official acta, and a decision was taken to make a formal second summons, in spite of a
request for a delay by Amphilocius of Side.
183 Second summons of Dioscorus: ACO II.i.2, pp. 12:31-14:26.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
109
176] When Dioscorus enquired whether Juvenal and Thalassius and
Eustathius were present, he replied that this was completely irrelevant.
The transactions reveal that to this Dioscorus said that he entreated the
Christ-loving emperor that there should be present both the officials
and those who had sat with him in judgement. To this those who had
been sent said that Eusebius was accusing him alone, and that he abso¬
lutely ought to appear. To this Dioscorus said that the others who had
sat with him in judgement ought also to be present, for Eusebius did not
have any personal business with him, except indeed for that on which all
had given judgement. And when those who had been sent persisted
again in this, Dioscorus said in reply: ‘What I have said, I have said
once and for all; and further than this I have nothing to say.’
With regard to this Eusebius, the bishop of Dorylaeum, explained
that his business was with Dioscorus alone and with no one else, and he
requested that Dioscorus should be summoned by a third summons. 184
And Aetius, joining in, informed them that just now certain persons
who said they were clerics had set out with other Alexandrian laymen to
present depositions against Dioscorus and that these were standing
outside the gathering and making chants. 185 And after Theodore, who
was a deacon in the holy church at Alexandria, had been the first to
make a presentation, next Ischyrion too, who was similarly a deacon,
and Athanasius, who was an elder and nephew of Cyril, and furthermore
Sophronius, in which they made accusations against Dioscorus
concerning blasphemies and concerning bodily injuries and violent
seizure of property, there was a third summons which urged Dioscorus
to attend. 186
Accordingly those who had been appointed to this stated on their
return that Dioscorus had said: ‘I have sufficiently informed your piety,
184 ACO II.i.2,p. 14:27-37.
185 ACO II.i.2, pp. 14:38-24:30. The common denominator behind most of the com¬
plaints was the campaign which Dioscorus conducted against the closest assistants of
Cyril, some of them his relatives, many of whom had become very wealthy as a result of
his long domination of Egyptian affairs (Theodore Lector 342 [= Theophanes 97:31-3]
mentions the large house of Cyril’s family). For a summary of the accusations, see
Gregory, Vox 176-8.
186 Third summons of Dioscorus: ACO II.i.2, pp. 25:6-27:16. Festugiere (280 n. 109)
translated ‘blasphemies’ (PXoccr(|)r||ji<i>v) as ‘calumnies’, which would make this a non¬
religious accusation, but the Egyptians did actually accuse Dioscorus of sacrilegious
remarks about the Trinity.
110
EVAGRIUS
and to this I am unable to add anything; |77| for I am satisfied with this.’
And when those who had been sent on this business again urged the said
Dioscorus to come, he said in response; ‘What I have said, I have said;
to this I am unable to add anything. For I am satisfied with this.’ And
when those who had been sent on this business again urged Dioscorus
to come, he said the same in reply. And since the said Dioscorus had
again said the same, while those who had been sent on this business
persisted in their urging. Bishop Pascanius said that, although he had
now been summoned a third time, Dioscorus had not made an appear¬
ance as he was stricken by conscience, and he enquired what treatment
he merited. 187 When the bishops responded to this that he had fallen
foul of the canons, Proterius, Bishop of Smyrna, said, ‘When the holy
Flavian was murdered there was nothing done in response to that’, and
those deputizing for Leo, the bishop of elder Rome, declared as follows,
word for word: 188
The affronts of Dioscorus, the former bishop of the megalopolis
of the Alexandrians, against the order of the canons and the eccle¬
siastical disposition have become manifest from the investiga¬
tions already made in the first session and from what has been
done today. For this man, to leave aside most matters, acting on
his own authority and contrary to the canons, accepted into com¬
munion Eutyches, his fellow in doctrine who had been canoni¬
cally deposed by his very own bishop - by whom we mean our
father among the saints. Archbishop Flavian - before he had at¬
tended the Synod in the Ephesian city with the bishops beloved
of God. But to the latter the apostolic see accorded pardon for
what had been done there by them that was not of their intention;
these men indeed have to the present continued |78| subservient
to the most holy archbishop Leo and the whole holy and ecumeni¬
cal Synod, for which reason he also received them into his com¬
munion as fellows in faith. But this man has persisted even to the
present to be arrogant over those matters for which he ought to
lament and should have bowed his head to the ground. In addi¬
tion to this he did not even concede that the letter of the most
blessed Pope Leo be read out, the one written by him to Flavian,
187 ACO II.i.2, pp. 27:17-28:20.
188 Proterius’ interjection: A CO II.i.2, p. 28:1^4; declaration of Western representatives,
ACO II.i.2, pp. 28:24—29:20 (already quoted by Evagrius, pp. 45:21^47:12).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
111
who is remembered among the saints, even though he was fre¬
quently exhorted by those who had conveyed it that it be read
out, and he had promised on oath to make the reading. Since this
was not read, the most holy churches throughout the universe
were filled with problems and harm. But nevertheless, although
such affronts had been committed by him, we aimed to accord
him some clemency for his former impious action, as in the case
of the other bishops most beloved of God, even though they did
not have similar authority to his in judgement. But since he out¬
distanced his former lawlessness with the subsequent one, and
dared even to pronounce excommunication upon Leo, the most
holy and saintly archbishop of great Rome, and since in addition
to this, when depositions filled with illegalities were brought
against him to the holy and great Synod and after being canoni¬
cally summoned once and twice and thrice by the bishops
beloved of God he did not attend - stabbed, no doubt, by his per¬
sonal conscience - and since he received unlawfully those who
had been legally deposed by various Synods, he himself brought
the verdict upon himself, by having variously trampled the eccle¬
siastical decrees. Wherefore the most holy and blessed archbishop
of the great and elder Rome, Leo, through us and the current
Synod, along with the thrice-blessed and far-famed Peter the
apostle, who is a rock and foundation of the universal Church
and is the basis of the orthodox faith, |79| stripped him of episco¬
pal rank and dissociated him from all priestly activity. Accord¬
ingly, this holy and great Synod passes a verdict in accordance
with the canons upon the aforementioned Dioscorus.
When these matters had been ratified by Anatolius as well as
Maximus and the other bishops, except for those who had been deposed
together with Dioscorus by the senate, a memorandum concerning
these matters was written to Marcian by the Synod, 189 and the deposition
was sent to Dioscorus by the same Synod in these terms: 190
189 The sentence pronounced by the Pope’s representatives was first ratified verbally by
the bishops, with Anatolius and Maximus in the lead (ACO II.i.2, pp. 29:21-34:11), after
which the bishops subscribed the written version (ACO II.i.2, pp. 34:12^10:6); the bishops
deposed at the first session were allowed to subscribe later. The memorandum to Marcian is
not mentioned in the acta.
190 ACO II.i.2, pp. 41:33-44:3.
112
EVAGRIUS
Recognize that you, on account of your disregard for the sacred
canons and on account of your disobedience with regard to this
holy and ecumenical Synod, for these reasons, in addition to the
other misdemeanours in which you have been caught, and, since
although summoned for a third time by this holy and great
Synod in accordance with the sacred canons, you did not present
yourself to make response to the matters brought against you,
on the thirteenth day of this current month October, recognize
that you have been deposed from your bishopric by the holy and
ecumenical Synod and are divorced from every ecclesiastical
order.
Next, after letters concerning these matters were sent as well to the
bishops beloved of God of the most holy Church at Alexandria and a
proclamation against Dioscorus had been made, the business of this
gathering received its termination. 191
And so whereas the business of the previous gathering was termi¬
nated in this way, thereafter they were again assembled and, in response
to a request from the officials who wished to be instructed in the correct
religion, they stated that it was unnecessary for anything further to be
formulated, since the business against Eutyches had received its termina¬
tion once and for all and had been ratified by the bishop of Rome, with
which indeed everyone was in accord. 192 While all the bishops were
shouting that everyone was saying the same and the officials proposed
| 80 ] that each patriarch should select one or two persons from his own
diocese to come into the middle, so that the opinion of each one be
made clear, Florentius, Bishop of Sardis, requested an adjournment so
that they might proceed to the truth with reflection. And Cecropius,
Bishop of Sebastopolis, said as follows:
The faith is well stated by the 318 holy Fathers, and has been con¬
firmed by the holy Fathers Athanasius, Cyril, Celestine, Flilary,
Basil, Gregory, and now again by the most holy Leo. And we
request that there be read out the words of the 318 holy Fathers
and of the most saintly Leo.
191 ACO II.i.2, p. 44:4-35; the letter was addressed to the clergy of Alexandria.
192 The second session of the Council on 10 October. Marcian was determined to have a
new definition of faith, whereas the bishops were inclined to resist; at First Ephesus the use
of any definition other than that of Nicaea had been prohibited (ACO II.i.2, pp. 77:37-79:7).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
113
After these had been read, the whole Synod roared out as follows:
This is the faith of the orthodox; it is thus that we all believe; Pope Leo
believes thus; Cyril believes thus; Pope Leo has expounded thus.’ 193
After another proposition had been introduced that the expositions of
the 150 holy men should also receive a reading, these too were read out.
To these the people in the Synod again shouted, saying; This is the faith
of all; this is the faith of the orthodox; thus do we all believe.’ 194
After this the archdeacon Aetius said that he had in his hands the
venerable Cyril’s letter to Nestorius which all those gathered at Ephesus
had ratified with their own signatures, and that he also had another
letter written by the same Cyril to John of Antioch, which too had
received confirmation, and he asked that these should receive a reading.
After a proposal to this effect had been made, both were read out; of the
former a part is as follows, in these terms; 195
Cyril to Nestorius, the most devout and most pious fellow minis¬
ter. | 81 | Certain people, as I have learnt, are disparaging my repu¬
tation in front of your piety, and that frequently, in particular
awaiting the occasions of gatherings of those in power, and
perhaps too with the idea of pleasing your ear.
And further on;
Now the holy and great Synod said that the Only-begotten Son,
begotten naturally of God the Father, truly God from truly God,
light from light, the one through whom the Father has made
everything, descended, was made flesh, became human, suffered,
rose on the third day, ascended into heaven. It is necessary that
we too should follow these, both the words and the examples, con¬
sidering what the fact that the divine Word was made flesh and
became human signifies. For we do not say that the nature of the
Word was transformed and became flesh, nor yet was converted
193 ACO II. i.2, p. 79:16-32. As Festugiere notes (282 n. 115), Evagrius never himself uses
the term ‘Pope’ for the bishop of Rome, and it only occurs in direct quotations of docu¬
ments.
194 ACO II.i.2,pp. 79:33-80:18.
195 ACO II.i.2, p. 80:19-35. The acta in fact only include the first six lines of Cyril’s
second letter to Nestorius: cf. i.4 with n. 36 above; also ACO I.i.2, pp. 13:8-35:29, for the
reading of the letter at First Ephesus and its reception. Cyril’s letter to John was that com¬
posed in 433, after their reconciliation: cf. i.6 with n. 43 above for its context, and a substan¬
tial extract, and below for another extract.
114
EVAGRIUS
into a complete human composed of soul and body. Rather we
say that the Word, having in respect of hypostasis united with
itself flesh that was animated by a rational soul, ineffably and in¬
comprehensibly became man and was termed Son of Man, not
through mere wish or favour nor yet as if by the adoption of a
mere person; and that while the natures which have been
brought together to the true union are different, from the two is
one Christ and Son, not as if the difference of the natures had
been annihilated on account of the union, but rather that the one
Lord and Christ and Son had been perfected for us from
Godhead and Manhood through the ineffable and unutterable
convergence into union.
And after a little:
Since on account of us and on account of our salvation, after
uniting humanity to himself in repect of hypostasis, He came
forth from a woman, in this way He is said to have been born in
the flesh. For He was not born first as an ordinary man of the
holy Virgin, and as such the Word then descended upon Him,
182 ] but through being united from the very womb He is said to
have undergone a birth in the flesh, in that He took upon
Himself the birth of His own flesh. Thus we say that He suffered
and rose again, not in the sense that the Divine Word in respect
of Its own nature suffered blows or piercing of nails or indeed
any of the other wounds. For the divine is impassible because it
is also incorporeal. But since His own body suffered what hap¬
pened, He is on the other hand said to suffer these things on our
behalf: for the impassible was in the suffering body.
The majority of the other letter has been recorded in the first Book,
though there is in it the following declaration which John the bishop of
Antioch wrote but which Cyril approved wholeheartedly: 196
We confess the holy Virgin as Mother of God, because the divine
Word was made flesh through Her and became human, and
from the very conception He united with Himself the temple
196 Forthe whole lettertoJohn,see ,4COI.i.4,no. 127; the extracts are from p. 17:15-25
and present part of the Formula of Reunion which had restored communion between
Antioch and Alexandria. The second extract is also quoted at i.6, p. 12:4-10.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
115
which He derived from Her. As for the expressions relating to the
Lord by the evangelists and apostles, we know that the divinely
inspired men employ inclusive expressions as concerning a
single person and disjunctive ones as concerning two natures,
and that they transmit the expressions appropriate to God in
respect to the Divinity of Christ and the humble ones in respect
to His humanity.
To which he added:
Having read these holy words of yours, we find that we too hold
these opinions: one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism. And so we
have glorified God the saviour of all, rejoicing with each other
because the churches with us and those with you hold a faith
which is consistent with the divinely inspired Scriptures and the
tradition of our holy Fathers.
When these were read out, those in the said Synod shouted out in
these terms: 197 ‘We all believe thus; Pope Leo |83] believes thus.
Anathema on him who divides and him who confounds. This is the faith
of Leo the archbishop, Leo believes thus, Leo and Anatolius believe
thus, we all believe thus; just as Cyril we all believe thus. Eternal is the
memory of Cyril; just as the letters of Cyril are, thus do we think, thus
have we believed, thus do we believe. Archbishop Leo thinks thus, thus
he believes, thus he has written.’
After a proposition had been introduced that the letter of Leo should
also be read out, it was translated and received a reading; it is included
in the transactions. 198 Then after the reading the bishops shouted
out: 199 This is the faith of the Fathers, this is the faith of the apostles;
we all believe thus, we orthodox believe thus. Anathema on him who
does not believe thus. Peter has declared this through Leo, the apostles
have taught thus; piously and truthfully has Leo taught, Cyril has
taught thus, Leo and Cyril have taught similarly. Anathema on him
who does not believe thus. This is the true faith, the orthodox think
thus, this is the faith of the Fathers. Why were these not read out at
Ephesus? Dioscorus hid these.’
197 ACO II.i.2, p. 81:7-13.
198 ACO II.i.2, p. 81:14-20; the full text of the letter is printed at ACO Il.i.l, pp. 10:19—
20:5.
199 ACO II.i.2, p. 81:23-31.
116
EVAGRIUS
There is included in the said transactions that, when the part of Leo’s
letter was read out which contains: 200 ‘And for the requital of the debt
owed by our mortal nature, the divine nature was united with the
suffering nature so that - this indeed is appropriate for our cure - the
one and the same, being the mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus, 201 both could die with regard to one aspect and could not
perish with regard to the other ..the Illyrian and Palestinian bishops
were doubtful about such a statement. 202 But Aetius, archdeacon of the
| 84 ] most holy Church of Constantine, presented a statement of Cyril
which contained the following: 203 ‘Since then His own body has through
the grace of God, as the apostle Paul says, tasted death on behalf of
everyone, 204 He Himself is said to suffer the death on our behalf, not as
if He came to experience of death at least as concerns His own nature -
for to say or think this is lunacy - but because, as I have just said. His
flesh tasted death.’
And again with regard to the passage of Leo’s letter which
contains: 205 ‘Lor, in communion with the other, each form is active in
respect to what its particular nature is, the Word accomplishing that
which is of the Word, while the body achieves what is of the body. And
of these the former shines forth in the miracles, while the latter is
200 ACO II.i.2, pp. 81:32-82:11. The point of these exchanges is to demonstrate that
agreement at Chalcedon was unanimous, and was reached after discussion and demonstra¬
tion, not by coercion as Monophysite accounts asserted.
201 1 Timothy 2.5.
202 The objection was to Leo’s overstatement of the differences between Christ’s
natures, which might permit Christ to experience death as a man but not as God. For the
attitude of the Illyrian bishops, cf. n. 170 above; Palestine was to become a bastion of Chal¬
cedon in the East, but at the moment its bishops would have been influenced by the equivo¬
cations of their leader, Juvenal of Jerusalem, who had travelled to the Council as a devout
supporter of Dioscorus.
203 The crucial point was to establish that there was nothing in Leo’s doctrinal exposi¬
tion that was incompatible with the views of Cyril. Evagrius has deliberately quoted these
passages of Leo’s Tome, which Monophysites used to prove his Nestorianism, along with
(he contrary assertion in the acta of their compatibility with Cyril’s writings. The problem
for Chalcedonians was that the formulation of Cyril’s doctrinal expositions changed in the
course of his long life, and that there were differences between his earlier writings and his
more conciliatory pronouncements after First Ephesus: defenders of Chalcedon urged that
Ihe later statements were authoritative, Monophysites the opposite.
204 Hebrews 2.9.
205 ACO II.i.2, p. 82:12-22.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
117
subjected to the insults .. ,’, 206 when the Illyrian and Palestinian bishops
expressed doubt, the same Aetius read a chapter of Cyril which contained
the following: ‘Whereas there are some of the expressions which are
particularly appropriate to Divinity, thus again there are others which
are appropriate to humanity, while others occupy a sort of middle rank
and represent the Son of God as being God and man together in the
same.’
And after this when the aforesaid bishops expressed doubts about
another part of Leo’s letter, which contained: 207 ‘For if most certainly
indeed in the Lord Jesus Christ there is one person of God and man,
nevertheless the thing through which the insult is common in each is one
thing, and that through which the glory is established in common is
another thing. For from us He has the humanity which is inferior to the
Father, but from the Father He has the Divinity in which He is equal
with the Father ...’, Theodoret weighed matters up and said that the
blessed Cyril too had said as follows, word for word: |85| ‘And after
becoming man and not laying aside his own nature. He remained what
He was, and one thing dwelt in something different, namely the divine
nature with men.’
After this, when the illustrious officials enquired whether anyone was
still doubtful, they all said that they were no longer in doubt. 208 After
this Atticus, Bishop of Nicopolis, requested that they have an adjourn¬
ment of a few days so that what seemed right to God and the holy
Fathers might be formulated with unruffled thought and untroubled
consideration. He requested that they also take the letter of Cyril which
was written to Nestorius, in which he exhorted him to agree to his
Twelve Chapters, to which everyone agreed. And after the officials
proposed that they should have an adjournment of five days to assemble
with Anatolius, the prelate of Constantinople, all the bishops acclaimed,
saying: ‘We believe thus, we all believe thus; just as Leo, thus do we
believe. None of us is doubtful; we have all subscribed.’ 209
With regard to this the following was proposed in these terms: ‘It is
not necessary for all of you to assemble; but since it is appropriate that
206 Leo’s phrasing again appears to separate the divine and human elements in Christ’s
body.
207 ACO II.i.2, p. 82:23-33.
208 Request for adjournment: ACO II.i.2, pp. 82:34-83:18.
209 I.e. to the expulsion of Dioscorus.
118
EVAGRIUS
the doubtful should be assured, the most devout archbishop Anatolius
should select from the subscribers those whom he esteems for instruction
of the doubtful.’ To this those in the Synod added as follows: 210 ‘We beg
concerning the Fathers: the Fathers in the Synod, those who share Leo’s
views in the Synod, the Fathers in the Synod; our voices to the emperor,
our pleas to the orthodox one, our pleas to the Augusta. We have all
done wrong, let there be forgiveness for all.’ |86|
Those of the Church of Constantinople cried out: ‘Few are shouting;
the Synod does not speak.’ After this the Easterners shouted out: ‘The
Egyptian into exile.’ The Illyrians roared: ‘We beg, mercy for all.’ After
this the Easterners: ‘The Egyptian into exile.’ And as the Illyrians were
making similar requests, the clergy of Constantinople cried out: ‘Dios-
corus into exile, the Egyptian into exile, the heretic into exile; Christ
deposed Dioscorus.’ After this the Illyrians and their associate bishops
again: ‘We have all done wrong, forgive all. Dioscorus to the Synod,
Dioscorus to the churches.’ And after similar proceedings the business
of this gathering was terminated.
At the subsequent gathering, when the senate proposed that the
formulae which had already been presented shoud be read out, the secre¬
tary Constantine read out the following from a paper, word for word: 211
Concerning the orthodox and universal faith we resolve that a
more precise investigation should be made at the next opportu¬
nity, after one day when the assembly is more complete. But as
for Flavian of pious memory and Eusebius, the most devout
bishop, from examination of what was done and decided and
from the very words of some who were leaders of the Council
then, who confess that they were mistaken and had deposed
those men invalidly, since they are revealed to have been unjustly
210 This session ended in uproar with a plea for the restoration of deposed bishops; the
point at issue was whether Dioscorus, to whose condemnation everyone present had just
subscribed, should be reinstated along with the bishops deposed at the first session: ACO
II.i.2, pp. 83:19 84:6.
211 The fourth session on 17 October began with a brief recapitulation by the imperial
commissioners of the main items from the first two sessions, namely the deposition of Dios¬
corus, which Evagrius quotes (ACO II.i.2, p. 92:17-30, with divergences noted by Bidez-
Parmentier), the statement of the principles of Marcian’s faith, and the decision to grant
an adjournment of five days (ACO II.i.2, pp. 92:31-93:16). Evagrius had already quoted
the condemnation of Dioscorus and his colleagues in its context at the end of the first
session (ii.4, pp. 44:26^45:15: ACO Il.i.l, p. 195:10-24).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
119
deposed in that they committed no error concerning the faith, in
accordance with the pleasure of God it seems to us to be just, if it
is upheld by our most sacred and pious master, that with the
same penalty Dioscorus, the most devout bishop of Alexandria,
and Juvenal, the most devout bishop |87| of Jerusalem, and Tha-
lassius, the most devout bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and
Eusebius, the most devout bishop of Ankara, and Eustathius,
the most devout bishop of Beirut, and Basil, the most devout
bishop of Seleucia in Isauria, who had held authority and were
leaders at the Synod then, should in accordance with the canons
be estranged from the dignity of bishop, and all consequential
should be decided by the sacred eminence.
Then after other things had been read, the assembled bishops, on
being asked if the writings of Leo were in accord with the faith of the 318
holy Fathers who had assembled at Nicaea, and with that of the 150 at
the imperial city, Anatolius, the prelate of Constantinople, and all those
gathered together, replied that the letter of Leo was in accord with what
the aforesaid holy Fathers said. 212 And they put their subscription to the
said letter of Leo. After these things had proceeded in this way those in
the Synod cried out: 213 ‘We are all in agreement, we all consent, we all
believe thus, we all think the same, we believe thus. The Fathers to the
Synod, those who have subscribed to the Synod. Many years for the
emperor, many years for the Augusta. The Fathers to the Synod, those of
the same beliefs to the Synod. Many years for the emperor. Those of the
same opinions to the Council. Many years for the emperor. The five have
indeed subscribed to the faith. Just as Leo, thus do we think.’
And after a proposition had been introduced as follows, word for
word: ‘Concerning them we have referred to our most sacred and most
pious master, and we await the reply of his piety. But your devotion will
give an account to God, both concerning Dioscorus, who was deposed
212 The papal representatives had declared that the definition of faith resided in the de¬
cisions of Nicaea and Constantinople, supplemented by the two canonical letters of Cyril
and the Tome of Leo; thereafter the imperial commissioners invited the bishops individually
to declare that the Tome of Leo was in accord with the doctrine of Nicaea and Constanti¬
nople (ACO II.i.2, pp. 93:20-94:2). The subscriptions are recorded at length (ACO II.i.2, pp.
94:4-109:16).
213 Reinstatement of the five colleagues of Dioscorus: ACO II.i.2, p. 109:7^10; the fact
that they had now subscribed to Leo’s Tome was crucial.
120
EVAGRIUS
by you without the knowledge of |88| the most sacred eminence and of
us, 214 and concerning the said five on whose behalf you have made the
appeal, and for all the transactions at the Synod’, they acclaimed and
said: ‘God deposed Dioscorus. Dioscorus was justly deposed. Christ
deposed Dioscorus.’
Then after this, when the response of Marcian had been brought
which, as the proposition of the officials made clear, granted the business
of those who had been deposed to the decision of the bishops, they
requested, speaking as follows word for word: ‘We entreat them to
enter. Those of the same views to the Synod, those of the same opinions
to the Synod, those who have subscribed to the letter of Leo to the
Synod.’ After discussion these were included in the number of the Synod.
And after this the petitions which had been presented by the bishops
of the Egyptian diocese to the emperor Marcian were read out, which
included among other matters: 215
We have the same opinions as the 318 at Nicaea expounded, and
the blessed Athanasius, and Cyril who is among the saints, and
we anathematize every heresy, those of Arius, and Eunomius,
and Mani, and Nestorius, and those who say that the flesh of our
Lord came from heaven and was not from the holy Mother of
God and ever-Virgin Mary, in similarity with all of us except in sin.
All those in the Synod cried out saying: ‘Why have they not anathema¬
tized the belief of Eutyches? Let them subscribe to the letter of Leo,
anathematizing Eutyches and his beliefs. Let them agree with the letter
of Leo. They wish to mock us and depart.’
To this the bishops from Egypt retorted that there were many bishops
in Egypt and that they were unable |89| to take responsibility for the atti¬
tude of those left behind; 216 and they urged the Synod to wait for their
214 The commissioners had not been present at the third session, when Dioscorus was
deposed (Theophanes, 106:6-8, wrongly asserts that Marcian and the senate were present at
the deposition).
215 Petition from the Dioscoran bishops of Egypt: ACO II.i.2, pp. 110:6-111:16. At the
first session, Dioscorus had been deserted by four of his bishops, but thirteen loyalists, who
had not attended the second and third sessions, now attempted to have their doctrinal views
ratified by the Council. As the reaction of the assembled bishops makes clear, the Egyptians’
inability to anathematize Eutyches and accept Leo’s Tome made the petition unacceptable.
216 ACO II.i.2, pp. 111:17-114:18. In a heated exchange, the Egyptian bishops were pre¬
pared to condemn Eutyches if his doctrine contravened their own, but it was impossible to
accept the Tome of Leo without the approval of the patriarch of Alexandria; the danger of
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
121
archbishop, so that they might follow his decision as custom dictates.
For, if they were to do anything before the appointment of their leader,
those from the whole Egyptian diocese would attack them. After many
pleas concerning this, even though those from the Synod were resisting
quite strongly, it was proposed that the bishops from Egypt be allowed
until such time as a bishop was appointed for them.
After this petitions were presented by certain monks, 217 of which the
gist was that they should certainly not be compelled to subscribe to any
papers until the Synod, which the emperor had ordained to be collected,
should have convened and they knew what had been formulated. 218
When these had been read, 219 Diogenes, Bishop of Cyzicus, asserted
that Barsuma, who was one of the assembly, had slain Flavian: for he
had shouted: ‘Slay’, and he had received admission contrary to propriety,
in that he was not a party to the requests. All the bishops cried out:
‘Barsuma has obliterated all Syria, he has brought a thousand monks
against us.’ And after a proposition was introduced that those who had
assembled should await the ratification by the Synod, the monks
demanded that the documents which had been composed by them
should be read out; a part of these was that Dioscorus and his fellow
bishops should be present at the Synod. To this all the bishops cried out:
‘Anathema on Dioscorus. Christ deposed Dioscorus. Cast them out.
physical violence was as potent a factor as belief, and the imperial commissioners termi¬
nated the argument by granting a respite to the Egyptians, with the proviso that they
remain in Chalcedon until a new patriarch was appointed.
217 The Egyptian bishops were followed into the Council by two groups of monks, of
whom most were from Constantinople: Faustus led a party of archimandrites and other
senior monastic figures, who supported their bishop, Anatolius, and the decisions of the
Council; their opponents were led by Carosus and Dorotheus, with the Syrian Barsauma
in attendance. Evagrius does not make clear the distinction between these groups, so that
his account of the episode is confusing.
218 Proceedings began with a review of the members of the anti-Chalcedonian group,
which called into question the credentials of some of its participants: ACO II.i.2, pp.
114:20-115:36. Nevertheless, (heir petition was still presented: ACO II.i.2, pp. 115:38-
116:24. Their complaint was partly about the pressure which had been applied before the
Council, when Anatolius had certainly been doing much exhorting (ACO II.i.2, p. 119:37-
40), but they may also have been implying that the current gathering was no longer ecume¬
nical, since Dioscorus was absent (Festugiere 291 n. 128, following Valesius).
219 Uproar followed the reading of the first part of the anti-Chalcedonian petition: ACO
II.i.2, pp. 116:26-117:17. Barsauma had been the leader of a group of Syrian monks at
Second Ephesus who had given strong support to Dioscorus.
122
EVAGRIUS
Remove violation from the Synod, remove violence from the Synod.
These words to the emperor.’ The monks resisted this and roared:
‘Remove violation from the monasteries.’ 220
When the same things were again bellowed out by the Synod, it was
proposed that the remaining documents should be read out; 221 | 90 |
these said that the deposition of Dioscorus had occurred improperly,
and that it was essential for him to participate in the Synod since a ques¬
tion of faith was before them; but if this did not come about, they would
shake out their garments away from the community of the assembled
bishops. After this was said, Aetius the archdeacon read the canons
concerning those who separate themselves off. And again, when the
monks demurred at the enquiries of the most holy bishops, and then in
response to a question from the archdeacon Aetius on behalf of the
Council some anathematized Nestorius and Eutyches while others
refused, it was proposed by the officials that the petitions of Faustus and
the other monks should be read out, which exhorted the emperor that
those monks who were opposed to correct doctrines should not be
permitted to continue any further. 222 At this, a monk Dorotheus called
Eutyches orthodox. In response, various doctrinal matters with regard
to Eutyches were raised by the officials. 223
And after this, when the fifth session was in progress, the officials
proposed that what had been formulated concerning the faith should be
made clear; and Asclepiades, a deacon of Constantinople, read out a
definition which it was decided should not be incorporated in the transac¬
tions. 224 To this there were some dissenters but the majority were in
220 Evagrius has missed the point of this last chant, which was in fact uttered by Faustus
and the most pious archimandrites (ACO II.i.2, p. 117:16-17): Faustus was in agreement
with the bishops, and wanted the violence of the monks removed, not only from the
Council but also from the monasteries.
221 ACO II.i.2, pp. 117:23-118:15.
222 Evagrius has, again, slightly missed the point of the exchanges (ACO II.i.2, pp.
118:16-120:8) by not making clear that Faustus was in favour of the Council: Carosus, Dor¬
otheus and their supporters were prepared to condemn Nestorius, and, under severe pres¬
sure, Eutyches as well, but with the qualification, ‘if he does not believe as the universal
Church believes'; the petition of Faustus and the most pious archimandrites was intended
to achieve the removal of such malcontents, and he had no trouble in condemning Eutyches.
223 ACO II.i.2, pp. 120:9-121:5.
224 At the fifth session on 22 October, Anatolius of Constantinople, with the support of
the bishops, attempted to have ratified a definition of faith that did not depart too far from
Cyrillan terminology; this provoked objections from the imperial commissioners and the
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
123
agreement. And when there were contrary shouts, the officials stated that
Dioscorus said that he deposed Flavian for this reason, that he said there
were two natures, but the definition said he was from two natures. To
this Anatolius said that Dioscorus had not been deposed on grounds of
faith, but because he had imposed on Leo a ban on communion and had
not attended although thrice summoned. And the officials demanded
that the contents of Leo’s letter be inserted in the definition; when the
bishops objected to this and stated that there could not be another defini¬
tion, as it was complete, these matters were referred to the emperor. 225
And he ordered that six of the eastern | 91 | bishops, and three from
Pontus, and three from Asia, and three from Thrace, and three from
Illyria, with Anatolius and those deputizing for Rome also present,
should gather in the martyr shrine and make correctly a formulation
about the faith, or rather that each should expound his own faith; if not
they should recognize that the Synod would take place in the West. And
on being requested to state if they followed Dioscorus in saying ‘from
two’, or Leo ‘two in Christ’, they shouted that they believed Leo, but
that those who contradicted were Eutychianists. 226 And when the offi¬
cials stated that there should be an addition in accordance with Leo that
two natures were, without change or division or confusion, united in
Christ, the officials entered the martyr shrine of the holy Euphemia, 227
together with Anatolius and the deputies of Leo, and Maximus of
Antioch, and Juvenal of Jerusalem, and Thalassius of Caesarea in
papal legates, who demanded (lie inclusion of a reference to the Tome of Leo (ACO II.i.2,
pp. 123:4-124:33). The legates bluntly stated that the Council should be moved to the West if
this was not accepted, while the commissioners, more tactfully, suggested the creation of a
drafting group and attempted to argue that some reference to two natures was essential to
distinguish the definition from the views of Dioscorus; the last point prompted Anatolius’
statement that Dioscorus had been deposed for reasons of conduct, not of doctrine.
225 ACO II.i.2, pp. 124:32-125:8; the emperor accepted the compromise of his commis¬
sioners. but also repeated the legates’ threat of a new Council in (he West. The reluctance of
the bishops at Chalcedon to produce a new definition of faith, recorded in the official acta ,
was exploited by the Council’s opponents: Rufus, Plerophories 59, p. 117.
226 ACO II.i.2, p. 125:16-25: in their desire to ensure the inclusion of a mention of Leo’s
Tome, the commissioners reduced the issue to a stark choice between Leo and Dioscorus;
the bishops could not avoid supporting Leo, and so the commissioners secured their wishes.
227 ACO II.i.2, pp. 125:26-126:11: this incident is probably the origin of the story of Eu¬
phemia’s miraculous intervention in the deliberations (Zonaras xiii.25, III. pp. 117:10-
119:2).
124
EVAGRIUS
Cappadocia, and others; after they had come out the definition
containing this was read out: ‘Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ and
the rest which is incorporated in the History . 228 And after everyone
shouted out: This is the faith of the Fathers. The metropolitans have
now subscribed to it. This is the faith of the apostles. We all align
ourselves with this, we all think thus’, the officials proposed: ‘What has
been formulated by the Fathers and is pleasing to all should be referred
to the sacred eminence.’ 229
At the sixth session Marcian attended and addressed the bishops
about concord; after the emperor’s speech, the definition was read out
by archdeacon Aetius of Constantinople, and all subscribed to the defini¬
tion. 230 And the emperor asked if the definition had been read out with
the approval of all, and all | 92 | cried out with acclamations. 231 And
again, the emperor twice addressed them, and everyone acclaimed
him. 232 And at the emperor’s behest canons were established, and metro¬
politan rights were granted to Chalcedon. And the emperor ordered the
bishops to stay for three or four days, and that each one should make
proposals about whatever he wanted, while the officials were present,
and that the suitable ones should come into effect. And the session was
terminated. 233
Another one was held, and other canons were established. 234
228 ACO II.i.2, pp. 126:12 130:11, already quoted by Evagrius at ii.4. pp. 47:18-50:19;
Evagrius was prepared to repeat the documents concerning the condemnation ol' Dios-
corus, but not the definition of Chalcedon, an interesting order of priorities.
229 ACO I.i.2,p. 130:12-17.
230 25 October. Imperial speech: ACO II.i.2, pp. 139:26-140:26; definition ACO II.i.2,
pp. 140:31-141:15; subscriptions .4 CO II.i.2, pp. 141:17-155:4.
231 ACO II.i.2, p. 155:5-28.
232 ACO II.i.2, pp. 155:29-156:29: the emperor gave thanks to God for the work of the
Council, and then forbade the raising of further difficulties about the faith. Festugiere (294
n. 133) took ‘twice addressed’ as indicating that Marcian spoke in both Greek and Latin, but
this is unlikely, since the emperor did make five separate pronouncements at this meeting of
the Council and Evagrius has noted them individually.
233 ACO II.i.2, pp. 156:30-33; 157:34-7; 158:1-5. The status of Chalcedon was elevated
to honour the martyr Euphemia.
234 For the earliest arrangement of the acta, see n. 45 above: the canons and signatures
of subscribing bishops were inserted at this point, though this did not require a separate
session (Marcian attended the sixth session, and the dispute between Antioch and Jerusa¬
lem was resolved at the seventh). Transfer of the canons to the end of the acta helped lend
extra authority to contentious decisions, such as that of the fourteenth session on the status
of Constantinople.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK II
125
And again, at another meeting Juvenal and Maximus came to an
agreement and it was decided that the bishop of Antioch should control
the two Phoenicias and Arabia, but that of Jerusalem the three Pales-
tines. And after discussion by the officials and bishops this was
confirmed. 235
And at the ninth meeting the affair of Theodoret was dealt with, and
he anathematized Nestorius saying: ‘Anathema on Nestorius and on
him who does not call the holy Virgin Mary Mother of God and who
divides the one Only-begotten Son into two sons. I subscribe both to the
definition of faith and to the letter of Leo.’ And on a unanimous proposal
he was restored to his own see. 236
And at another meeting the affair of Ibas was dealt with, and there
were read out the judgements on him which Photius, Bishop of Tyre,
and Eustathius, Bishop of Beirut, had passed; but the vote was put off
until the next time. 237
Now at the eleventh session, although the majority of bishops voted
that he should be among the priests, some bishops opposed and said
that his accusers were outside and asked that they be admitted. And the
transactions relating to him were read out. When the officials proposed
that the transactions at Ephesus relating to Ibas should be read out, |93|
the bishops stated that all the transactions at Ephesus in the Second
Synod were invalid except for the appointment of Maximus of Antioch.
And concerning this they also requested the emperor to ordain that
nothing at Ephesus subsequent to the First Synod, over which Cyril
who is among the saints, the prelate of the Alexandrians, had presided,
should be valid. And it was determined that Ibas should have his
bishopric.
And at another occasion the affair of Basianus, Bishop of Ephesus,
235 For discussion of this provincial dispute, see n. 68 above; the settlement was ratified
on 26 October (ACO II.i.3, pp. 6:34-7:5).
236 On 26 October. For the affair of Theodoret, see n. 69 above; the quotation is from
ACO II.i.3, p. 9:27-30.
237 The affair of Ibas (cf. n. 69 above) was raised immediately after that of Theodoret,
but was not concluded until the following day. Evagrius has slightly confused the order of
events: the accusers were first admitted (ACO II.i.3, p. 17:24-8), after which were read the
acta of Tyre, where Ibas was acquitted, and Beirut, where he was convicted (ACO II.i.3, pp.
19:6-34:27); the officials were then prevented from having the acta of Second Ephesus read
(ACO II.i.3, p. 38:3-24), and Ibas was reinstated.
126
EVAGRIUS
was investigated, and it was determined that he and Stephen be removed.
And at another meeting this was voted on. 238
And on the thirteenth session, there was an investigation into the
affair of Eunomius, Bishop of Nicomedia, and Anastasius, Bishop of
Nicaea, who were in dispute about their individual cities. 239
And a fourteenth session was held, and the affair of Bishop Basianus
was investigated. 240 And at the conclusion it was determined that the
see of Constantinople should be ranked immediately after that of
Rome. 241
End of the 2nd book of the Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius.
238 On 29 October. Bassianus had been appointed bishop of Euazes, in Sarmatia, by
Memnon of Ephesus, but had never taken up the post; after the deaths of Memnon and his
successor, Basil, Bassianus had secured the see of Ephesus, but had then been deposed by
Flavian of Constantinople, who had installed Stephen; there were allegations of violence
and other improper conduct on both sides. The decision was concluded on 30 October.
239 On 30 October. The bishop of Nicomedia was metropolitan of Bithynia, but Nicaea
(also in Bithynia) had been elevated to metropolitan status by Valentinian and Valens; the
Council confirmed the supremacy of Nicomedia, while Nicaea’s status gave it precedence
over the other cities of the province (ACO II.i.3, pp. 58:32-62:37).
240 On 31 October. The dispute concerned whether Sabinianus (not Bassianus; an error
by Evagrius under the influence of the dispute at Ephesus) or Athanasius was the rightful
bishop of Perrhe; the decision went in favour of Sabinianus, but matters were delegated to a
Council to be convened by Maximus of Antioch: ACO II.i.3, pp. 64:31-83:26.
241 Canon 28 of Chalcedon, passed on 31 October; see n. 71 above.
[94] THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF THE THIRD
BOOK OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS SCHOLASTICUS
1. Concerning the reign of Zeno and his life.
2. Concerning barbarian invasions in the East and West.
3. Concerning the usurpation of Basiliscus and Zeno’s flight.
4. That Basiliscus recalled Timothy Aelurus and, being persuaded
by him, sent out encyclical letters everywhere to annul the Synod at Chal-
cedon.
5. Concerning those who assented to Basiliscus’ Encyclicals and
annulled the Synod.
6. That, after Timothy Aelurus had regained the Alexandrians’ see
and returned the patriarchal right to that of the Ephesians, he subjected
the Synod at Chalcedon to anathema.
7. That, after the monks had rioted at the instigation of Acacius,
Basiliscus in terror sent out Counter-Encyclicals, having written the
opposite of the previous ones.
8. Concerning the return of Zeno.
9. That, after the death of Basiliscus, in order to conciliate Acacius
the bishops of Asia provided a document of repentance for the wrong
they had done in annulling the Synod at Chalcedon.
10. Concerning those who were bishop at Antioch.
11. That the emperor Zeno wished to pursue Aelurus, but took pity
on him because of his age and left him; and that after he had died, Peter
Mongus was elected by the Alexandrians, but Timothy the successor of
Proterius occupied the Alexandrians’ throne on the emperor’s decision.
12. Concerning John who held the rudders of the Alexandrians’ see
after Timothy; how Zeno drove him out for being forsworn and entrusted
the Alexandrians’ see to Peter Mongus.
| 95 ] 13. That Peter Mongus accepted the Henoticon of Zeno and joined
to himself the followers of Proterius.
14. Concerning the so-called Henoticon of Zeno.
15. That John of Alexandria arrived in Rome and influenced Simpli¬
cius against Zeno, to write to Zeno concerning what had happened.
128
EVAGRIUS
16. Concerning Calendion of Antioch, and that he was punished
with banishment on account of his suspected friendship with Illus and
Leontius, and that Peter the Fuller was united with Mongus and the
bishop of Constantinople and that of Jerusalem.
17. Concerning what Peter wrote to Acacius when the latter
accepted the Synod at Chalcedon.
18. That John of Alexandria persuaded Pope Felix to send a deposi¬
tion to Acacius of Constantinople.
19. Concerning Cyril who led the monastery of the Sleepless, how he
sent men to Felix in Rome to urge him to punish the outrages against the
faith.
20. Concerning what Felix wrote to Zeno, and Zeno sent in return to
Felix.
21. That Symeon a monk of the monastery of the Sleepless arrived
in Rome, and accused the Romans’ bishops who had been sent to
Constantinople of communicating with heretics; and that they and
those who communicated with Peter were deposed by the Romans.
22. Concerning what was set in motion at Alexandria and in diverse
places because of the Synod at Chalcedon.
23. Concerning Fravita and Euphemius of Constantinople, and
Athanasius and John of Alexandria, and Palladius and Flavian of
Antioch, and certain others.
24. Concerning the murder of Armatus, a relative of Empress
Verina.
25. Concerning the revolt of Theoderic the Scyth, and his death.
26. Concerning the revolt of Marcian and what happened to him.
27. Concerning the usurpation of Illus and Leontius.
28. Concerning Mamianus and his works.
|961 29. Concerning the death of Zeno and the proclamation of Anasta-
sius.
30. Concerning Emperor Anastasius and that on account of his wish
not to introduce any innovation with regard to the ecclesiastical situa¬
tion, even though the churches throughout the whole world were
disrupted by innumerable disturbances, many of the bishops were
expelled on this account.
31. Letter of the Palestinian monks to Alcison concerning Xenaias
and other people.
31. Concerning the expulsion of Macedonius of Constantinople and
Flavian of Antioch.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
129
33. Concerning Severus, Bishop of Antioch.
34. Concerning the deposition which was sent to him by Cosmas
and Severian.
35. Concerning the suppression of the Isaurian usurpers.
36. Concerning the Scenite barbarians, that they made a treaty with
the Romans.
37. Concerning the siege of Amida and foundation of Dara.
38. Concerning the Long Wall.
39. Concerning the so-called Chrysargyron, that Anastasius made
away with it.
40. Concerning what Zosimus narrated against Emperor Constan¬
tine because of the Chrysargyron.
41. Disagreement with Zosimus for his blasphemies of Constantine
and Christians.
42. Concerning the gold tax.
43. Concerning the usurpation of Vitalian.
44. That when Anastasius wished to add ‘Who was crucified for us’
to the Trisaghion hymn, a riot and disturbance occurred among the
people; being terrified, he feigned humility and soon changed the
opinions of the people.
45. Concerning the death of Anastasius.
[97] CHAPTERS OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS SCHOLASTICUS AND EX-PREFECT
1. Concerning the reign of Zeno and his son. 1
2. Concerning barbarian invasions in the East and West.
3. Concerning the usurpation of Basiliscus and Zeno’s flight.
4. Concerning the Encyclicals and Counter-Encyclicals of
Basiliscus.
5. Concerning the return of Timothy Aelurus and what was done
to him.
6. Concerning the return of Zeno and Basiliscus’ death.
7. Concerning bishops who, for the benefit of Acacius of Constan¬
tinople, revoked their own consent to events under Basiliscus.
8. Concerning Peter Mongus and the Henoticon of Zeno.
1 ‘Son’ (uiou) is a copyists’s mistake for ‘life’ (pioo), as in the first set of chapter headings
to Book iii (the death of Zeno’s son Leo II is noted at ii. 17).
130
EVAGRIUS
9. Concerning what Peter wrote to Acacius who accepted the
Synod at Chalcedon.
10. Concerning Councils which were set in motion in Rome for the
sake of John of Alexandria.
11. Concerning what was set in motion in Alexandria and in various
places for the sake of the Synod at Chalcedon.
12. Concerning the revolt of Theoderic and Marcian.
13. Concerning the usurpation of Illus and Leontius and others.
14. Concerning Mamianus and his works.
15. Concerning the reign of Anastasius and a record of chronology.
16. Concerning the ecclesiastical situation and bishops who were
expelled.
17. Concerning the Jerusalem monks’ letter to Alcison.
18. Concerning the expulsion of Macedonius and of Flavian, and
concerning Severus.
19. Concerning Severus and the deposition which was sent to him by
Cosmas and Severian.
20. Concerning the suppression of the Isaurian usurpers.
21. Concerning the siege at Amida and foundation of Dara.
I98| 22. Concerning the Long Wall and the suspension of the Chrysar-
gyron.
23. Concerning what Zosimus narrated for the sake of the Chrysar-
gyron and Emperor Constantine.
24. Disagreement with Zosimus for his blasphemies of Constantine
and Christians.
25. Concerning the usurpation of Vitalian and his naval battle, and
what he experienced.
26. Concerning the riot of the people at Byzantium.
|99| BOOK III OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
OF EVAGRIUS OF EPIPHANIA, SCHOLASTICUS AND
EX-PREFECT
1 But Zeno, after assuming the imperial rule by himself upon the death of
his son, as if reckoning that he would not be in complete control unless he
also pursued all the available pleasures with complete licence, entrusted
himself from the outset to the assaults of desires to such an extent that he
did not restrain himself from anything that was improper and unlawful;
rather, to such an extent was he conversant with these that for them to be
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
131
done in obscurity and secrecy he considered as subservient, but if in public
and, as it were, on a vantage-point, as royal and fitting for an emperor
alone, since his judgement was wrong and servile. For the emperor gains
recognition not from matters in which he naturally controls others, but
from those in which he first rules and controls himself, by refusing admis¬
sion to himself to anything inappropriate, and being so uncontaminated
by acts of indulgence that while alive he provides an image of the virtues
for imitation, an education for his subjects. But he who makes himself
accessible to the pleasures gradually and insensibly becomes a most
shameful slave, an unransomed captive, constantly exchanging masters
like useless slaves, since indeed innumerable pleasures are established as
mistresses with no limit whatsoever to their succession and mutual repla¬
cement: 11001 the current pleasure is always inconstant, and becomes an
incitement and prelude to another, until a person either becomes truly
master and exiles the rabble-dominion of the pleasures, a ruler thereafter
rather than a subject of tyranny, or he reaches the world of Hades, a
slave until the final turn of fate. 1
2 And so from the beginning Zeno had led his life in such a dissolute
manner, 2 but his subjects, those towards both the rising and the setting
1 The character sketch of an emperor or patriarch frequently provides Evagrius with a
cue for general moralizing; cf. v.l (Justin II) and vi.l (Maurice). As an Isaurian, Zeno (474—
91) was unpopular with both the Germanic military establishment and the educated secular
elite which administered the empire, so that his reign was disrupted by revolts and less
public tensions (e.g. Malchus, fr. 22) and his reputation was damned for posterity: see the
discussion of sources in Laniado, ‘Problems’. Isaurian unpopularity: Joshua the Stylite ch.
12, and see Brooks, ‘Zenon’.
Evagrius’ highly rhetorical attack on Zeno presents by far the longest assessment of the
emperor’s character, though Cedrenus (I. p. 615:11-17) and Zonaras (xiv.2.2-5) have brief
hostile portraits. Malchus criticized Zeno’s spendthrift generosity to his friends, which re¬
sulted in higher taxation and extraordinary demands by profiteering officials; however, he
also admitted that he was less consistently cruel and irate than Leo, and that it was lack of
experience and knowledge which placed him at the mercy of his avaricious advisers (frr. 7,
16). The source most favourably disposed towards Zeno is the Life of Daniel Ihe Stylite:
Daniel, who had links with numerous people at Zeno’s court and supported the emperor’s
Christological position, predicted that he could face the divine throne of judgement with
confidence because of his faith in God and his good deeds (ch. 91); Pratum Spirituale 175,
refers to his generosity with alms. As a Monophysite Zachariah of Mitylene also presents
Zeno positively.
2 The adjective SKSsSifliriirEvog is also applied to Evagrius’ other imperial bete noire ,
Justin II (v.l, p. 195:20; cf. also v.9. p. 205:11-12; v.19, p. 214:32).
132
EVAGRIUS
sun, were suffering terribly, since from one side the Scenite barbarians
were ravaging everything, while Thrace was overrun by a horde of
Huns, the Massagetae of old, who crossed the Danube without opposi¬
tion, while in the barbarian manner Zeno himself removed the left-overs
by force. 3
3 When Basiliscus the brother of Verina revolted against him - for even
his relatives were hostile to him, since everyone equally shunned his
most shameful life - he completely failed to contemplate anything
courageous: for wrongdoing is ignoble and despondent, and demon¬
strates its cowardice through its submission to the pleasures. 4 Instead
he fled headlong, surrendering such a great realm to Basiliscus without
a struggle. 5 And he underwent a siege in the land of the Isaurians which
had brought him forth, having his wife Ariadne with him since she had
subsequently fled from her mother, as well as anyone else who remained
3 Theophanes, 120:9-12, and Cedrenus, I. p. 615:10 13, contain similar notices of exten¬
sive incursions, whose destruction was complemented by Zeno’s own actions; Allen,
Evagrius 121, plausibly suggests Eustathius of Epiphania as the common source behind
this tradition (not noted by Mango and Scott, Theophanes 187 n. 5). Malchus, fr. 5:1-2,
also refers to disruption on all sides, with which Zeno, as an exceptionally unwarlike man,
could not cope.
Nothing else is known about the Saracen (Scenite) incursions into Mesopotamia: discus¬
sion in Shahid, Fifth Century 114-15. The main threat to the Balkans was now posed not by
Huns (Massagetae, a Herodotean term for the inhabitants of southern Russia, is a classiciz¬
ing affectation), but by the Gothic warbands of the two Theoderics, on which see Heather,
Goths and Romans ch. 8. Zeno’s own contribution probably refers to the rapacity of some of
his provincial governors (Malchus fr. 16), who pillaged those provinces which escaped the
depredations of outsiders.
4 For the sentiment, cf. the description of Justin IFs behaviour at v.9, p. 205:9-14.
5 Zeno fled on 9 January 475 (John of Antioch fr. 210), having already withdrawn from
the palace to Chalcedon because of a dispute with the dowager empress Verina over a
request from her which he had refused (Malalas 377:5-378:2); the Life of Daniel, 69, also
refers to the danger of assassination.
Basiliscus, an important military commander under his brother-in-law Leo (PLRE II.
212-14, s.v. Basiliscus 2), undoubtedly had ambitions of his own, which, however, had
been thwarted after the failure of the Vandal expedition in 468 ruined his reputation; the
Life of Daniel, 68, refers to the unjust hatred of some of Zeno’s alleged kinsmen, whom
the Devil stirred up to disrupt the quiet and well-ordered state. Evagrius naturally places
the worst possible interpretation on Zeno’s conduct. In reality the Isaurians were a power¬
ful, but unpopular, minority within Constantinople, whereas Basiliscus commanded troops
in Thrace, Verina had contacts with some leading senators, and the prominent Isaurian Illus
was induced to oppose his fellow-countryman.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
133
well-disposed to him. 6 And so once Basiliscus had thus acquired the
crown of the Roman realm and proclaimed his son Marcus as Caesar,
he proceeded in the opposite direction to Zeno and those who had
ruled previously. 7
4 As a result of an embassy of some men from the city of the Alexan¬
drians, he recalled Timothy from the banishment which he had experi¬
enced for eighteen years, while Acacius was presiding over the bishopric
of Constantinople. Next indeed, | 101 ] after reaching the emperor’s city,
Timothy persuaded Basiliscus to send encyclical letters to the priests
everywhere, and to encompass with anathema what had been transacted
at Chalcedon and the Tome of Leo; 8 the text of these says the following: 9
6 Malalas (378:1-2) agrees that Ariadne escaped from Constantinople after her
husband, whereas the Life of Daniel, 69, states that she accompanied Zeno to Chalcedon
and then on to the east. Zeno was besieged in the fortress of Sbide (in the central Isaurian
highlands, south of the Calycadnus river: see Ramsay, Asia 368) by the Isaurians Illus and
his brother Trocundes.
7 Basiliscus calculated his reign from the date of Zeno’s flight. 9 January 475. In the light
of the sustained criticism of Zeno’s actions, the statement that Basiliscus proceeded in the
opposite direction might suggest approval for the new regime, but, as emerges in the next
chapter, Evagrius is now thinking in purely doctrinal terms: Basiliscus reversed the Chalce-
donian policy of Marcian and Leo. Allen, Evagrius 122, notes the remarkable mildness of
Evagrius’ treatment of the heretical usurper.
8 Zachariah (v. 1) provides more details of the Alexandrian mission, which had originally
set out to see Zeno; one of the Egyptian monks, Theopompus, was brother of Basiliscus’ mag-
ister officiorum, Theoctistus. Timothy Aelurus had been in exile at Cherson on the Black Sea
since 464 (cf. ii. n. 127 above), so that his return to Alexandria naturally took him through
Constantinople. The Encyclical was supposedly drafted by Paul, one of the monastic delega¬
tion, who had been a rhetorician and sophist. See Blaudeau, ‘Timothee’ 113-16.
9 Zachariah (v.2) preserves the address to Timothy and most of the first two paragraphs.
A long version is also included in the anti-Chalcedonian collection edited by Schwartz,
‘Codex’ no. 73 (pp. 49-51), with an address to all metropolitans (as implied by Evagrius p.
101:2-3); other variants are noted by Festugiere 482^4. This version contained various re¬
ferences to the canons of Nicaea and the actions of Second Ephesus, and a rejection of new
regulations introduced at Chalcedon: the intention was to return to the earlier episcopal
hierarchy specified in the sixth canon of Nicaea (privileges for Rome and Alexandria; all
other provinces to control their own ordinations). Schwartz, ‘Codex’ 134, suggested that
the version in Evagrius was a hasty revision which attempted to make the Encyclical less
obnoxious to Acacius of Constantinople; after this compromise failed, Basiliscus was
forced to issue the Counter-Encyclical (iv.7). Grillmeier, Christ II. 1 242-3, by contrast, sug¬
gested that the long version represented an interpolated text which Timothy proclaimed at
Ephesus after departing Constantinople (see iii.5 with n. 17 below). Schwartz’s hypothesis
seems more plausible, but certainty is impossible.
134
EVAGRIUS
Encyclical of Basiliscus
The emperor Caesar Basiliscus, pious, victor, triumphant, great¬
est, ever-venerable, Augustus, and Marcus the most illustrious
Caesar, to Timothy, the most devout and most beloved of God,
archbishop of the megalopolis of the Alexandrians.
Whatever laws on behalf of the correct and apostolic faith
have been decreed by the most pious emperors before us, all
those who continued to serve correctly the blessed, ageless and
life-creating Trinity, these we desire never to be inactive, in that
they have always been salutary for the entire universe; rather, we
promulgate these laws as our very own. In that beyond all
concern with human affairs we honour piety and devotion to our
God and saviour Jesus Christ, who has created and glorified us;
and in that we are in addition confident that the unifying bond of
the flocks of Christ is our own salvation and that of all our sub¬
jects, a firm foundation and unshakeable defence of our empire,
hence, with our thoughts appropriately bestirred by sacred devo¬
tion, and as first-fruits of our empire, offering to our God and
saviour Jesus Christ the unity of the holy Church, we decree that
the basis and confirmation of human prosperity, namely the
creed of the 318 holy Fathers who in company with the Holy
Spirit were assembled at Nicaea long ago, into which we and all
the faithful before us were baptized, this alone governs and holds
sway over the orthodox people in all the most holy churches of
God, as | 102 ] the only valid definition of the unerring faith, and
being sufficient for on the one hand the universal destruction of
every heresy and on the other the utmost unity of the holy
churches of God. Clearly their proper force is also accorded to
what was transacted in this imperial city by the 150 holy Fathers
for the confirmation of the same divine creed against the blasphe¬
mers of the Holy Spirit; and, in addition also, all that was trans¬
acted in the metropolis of the Ephesians against the impious
Nestorius and those who subsequently shared his views. 10
10 The emphasis on the absolute sufficiency of the Nicene doctrine is in line with the initial
position of the vast majority of bishops at Chalcedon, who argued in opposition to Pope Leo’s
wishes that no new formulation of faith was necessary or desirable, and also with the responses
to Emperor Leo’s encyclical, many of which had accepted Chalcedon as a reaffirmation of
Nicaea rather than an Ecumenical Council in its own right: Grillmeier, Christ II. 1 210-18.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
135
But that which overthrew the unity and good order of the
holy churches of God and the peace of the whole universe,
namely the so-called Tome of Leo and all that was said and
transacted at Chalcedon in definition of faith or in exposition of
the creed, or of interpretation, or of instruction, or of discussion,
for innovation contrary to the aforementioned holy creed of the
318 holy Fathers, we decree that these be anathematized both
here and everywhere in every church by the most holy bishops
in all places, and that they be committed to the flames by whom¬
soever they may be found, since our imperial predecessors, Con¬
stantine and Theodosius the younger, who are in pious and
blessed estate, indeed made such dispositions concerning all
heretical doctrines. 11 And we ordain that, being thus invalidated,
these things be utterly ejected from the one and only catholic and
apostolic orthodox Church, in that they displace the eternal and
saving definitions of the 318 holy Fathers and those of the
blessed Fathers who through the Holy Spirit deliberated at the
city of the Ephesians; and that, in sum, it should be impossible
for any of the priests or the laity ever to make any deviation
from that most sacred ordinance of the holy creed; and that,
along with all the | 103 | innovations that occurred at Chalcedon
contrary to the sacred creed, there be anathematized also the
heresy of those who do not confess that the only begotten Son
of God was in truth made flesh and made man from the Holy
Spirit and from the holy and ever-Virgin Mary Mother of God
- men who, creating monstrosities, say that it was either ‘from
heaven’ or ‘in illusion and appearance’ - and absolutely every
heresy and any other innovation that has been made on any oc¬
casion whatsoever or in any manner or any place in the whole
The Encyclical’s reference to what was transacted at Ephesus is vague enough to admit the
legitimacy of Second as well as First Ephesus, and it was doubtless the intention of those who
drafted the document to reinstate Second Ephesus (though without reinstating Eutyches); this
point is clearer in the version of the Encyclical in Zachariah and Schwartz, which mentions the
two Councils of Ephesus.
11 Socrates (i.9.30) quotes a law of Constantine that all works by Arius should be burnt,
and Theodosius II had ordered the burning of all works by Nestorius (Cod. Theod. xvi.5.66);
Eusebius (Life of Constantine iii.64, 66) refers to a Constantinian law on the burning of all
heretical works.
136
EVAGRIUS
world, in thought or word, for transgression of the sacred
creed. 12
And since it is appropriate for imperial forethought, 13
through anticipatory consideration, to lavish security on its sub¬
jects not just for the present time but also for the future, we
decree that the most saintly bishops everywhere should append
their signatures to this sacred encyclical letter of ours when it is
presented: thus they will clearly demonstrate that they conform
only to the sacred creed of the 318 holy Fathers, which the 150
holy Fathers confirmed, as was expressly approved also by
those most saintly Fathers who subsequently assembled at the
metropolis of the Ephesians, namely that as a definition of faith
one must conform only to the holy creed of the 318 holy
Fathers; and they will anathematize every obstacle for the ortho¬
dox populace that occurred at Chalcedon, and conclusively eject
them from the Church as being a hindrance to the universal and
our own well-being.
Following these sacred missives of ours, which we trust to
have been pronounced in accordance with God, and which are
concerned to bring about for the holy churches of God the
unity desired by all, those who at any time attempt to promote
or in short to name, whether in instruction or in discussion or
in written work, at whatsoever time or in whatever manner or
place, the | 104 ] innovation which was made at Chalcedon in the
faith, such men, because they are responsible for confusion and
disorder among the holy churches of God and all our subjects,
and are enemies to God and our own salvation, in accordance
with those laws against such wickedness already ordained
12 Innovation against Nicaea is the root of all trouble: Nestorius had already been men¬
tioned at the end of the previous paragraph, and Leo’s Tome and the Chalcedonianocto are
now specifically added. The reference to those who create monstrosities with regard to the
Son of God is an allusion to Eutychian views, though Eutyches himself is not explicitly con¬
demned (just as the supporters of Dioscorus at Chalcedon would not unequivocally anath¬
ematize Eutyches). There is no mention of the Alexandrian ‘one nature’ formulation, or
indeed of the Chalcedonian ‘two nature’ alternative: Timothy wanted a universal condem¬
nation of the Council as innovatory, without reminding recipients of the Encyclical about
the precise doctrinal arguments of which they might be ignorant, like Alypius of Caesarea
(ACO II.v, p. 76.5-24).
13 For imperial responsibilities, cf. Justinian, Novel 69, preface, and further discussion in
Maas, ‘History’.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
137
before our time by the emperor Theodosius, 14 who has passed
into blessed and sacred estate, laws which are also appended to
this our sacred Encyclical, we command if they be bishops or
clergy that they be deposed, if monks or laymen that they be sub¬
jected to banishment and every kind of confiscation and the most
extreme punishments. For thus the holy and consubstantial
Trinity, creator and life-giver of all things which is at all times
revered by our piety, and is worshipped even now by us through
the destruction of the aforementioned tares and through the con¬
firmation of the correct and apostolic doctrines of the holy creed,
being gracious and kindly towards our souls and all our subjects,
shall through all time share in our government and bring peace
to mankind.
5 Now, as has been recorded by Zachariah the rhetor, Timothy, who had
recently been brought back from banishment, as I said, concurred with
these encyclical missives, and in addition Peter surnamed the Fuller, the
prelate of the city of the Antiochenes, who also accompanied Timothy
in the imperial city. 15 After this had happened, they also decreed that
Paul should take on the metropolitan see of the Ephesians. 16 Now he
14 Various comparable laws are included in Cod. Theod. xvi.5 (dehaereticis), though it is
not possible to tie the Encyclical’s general comment to a specific law.
15 Zachariah v.2. Peter the Fuller was one of the more turbulent priests of the late fifth
century: originally one of the Sleepless Monks, Ihe most prominent Chalcedonian commu¬
nity at Constantinople, he fell out with them and became a committed Monophysite; he was
first consecrated patriarch of Antioch in 469, probably with Zeno’s support, while Ihe in¬
cumbent Martyrius was absent (Theodore Lector 390; Malalas 379:2-3); he was ejected
after little more than a year, but briefly returned in 470/1 after the resignation of Martyrius,
and was then reinstated in 475 with the support of Basiliscus; after Zeno’s restoration he was
again removed, but by 485 he was back in favour and held the patriarchate for a final three
years. He was responsible for Ihe addition ‘Who was crucified for us’ to the Trisaghion,
‘Holy God, Holy and Strong, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us’; Calandion prefaced
this with a specific address to ‘Christ the King’ (Theodore Lector 427), but this address was
then removed by Peter so that the phrase acquired Christological significance by implying
that Christ as God had suffered. In this form the Trisaghion became a Monophysite slogan.
See Festugiere 314 n. 23.
Peter’s later career is mentioned by Evagrius at iii.10, 16 (see below with notes), but the
circumstances of his first period of office are ignored; Allen, Evagrius 123, plausibly attri¬
butes this silence to Evagrius’ reluctance to highlight this discreditable chapter in the history
of the Antiochene Patriarchate.
16 On Paul of Ephesus, cf. iii.6.
138
EVAGRIUS
also says that Anastasius, the prelate of Jerusalem after Juvenal, and a
good many others subscribed to the Encyclical, so that those who repu¬
diated the Tome of Leo and the Synod at Chalcedon amounted to about
500. And somewhere he also writes that a petition came to Basiliscus
from the prelates of Asia who were assembled at Ephesus, of which part
was composed in these words: 17 | 105 | ‘To Basiliscus and Marcus, our
most pious in all things and Christ-loving lords, perpetually victorious
Augusti.’ And further on: Throughout you have been shown, most
exceptionally pious and Christ-loving emperors, to be the subject of
attack, along with the faith which is detested and attacked in diverse
ways.’ And further on:
A certain terrible expectation of judgement and jealous wrath of
sacred fire, and the just action of your serenity will abruptly
entwine the adversaries who attempt, with a certain arrogant
blindness, 18 to shoot at the mighty God and at your empire which
is strengthened by faith, and who in several ways do not spare our
insignificance, but are always making false accusations and incor¬
rectly alleging against us that we subscribed under some con¬
straint and compulsion to your sacred and apostolic Encyclicals,
to which we subscribed with every pleasure and enthusiasm. 19
17 Zachariah (v.2) actually says there were about 700 subscribers; the petition from the
Synod of bishops of Asia is at v.3. Evagrius, following the order of his source, Zachariah,
has distorted the sequence of events. The Asian Synod, which was convened at the instiga¬
tion of Timothy Aelurus, symbolized the rejection of Constantinople’s claim to supremacy
and recalled the Councils of 431 and 449, when Cyril and Dioscorus had presided; see Blau-
deau, ‘Timothee’ 122. Timothy had left Constantinople for Alexandria after it became clear
that Basiliscus was likely to revoke his Encyclical; the Asian petition was an attack on
Acacius of Constantinople (though without naming him explicitly), whose influence was
leading to Basiliscus’ fresh thoughts, and a plea that there should be no change to the
Encyclical. See further Festugiere 308-9 n. 9.
18 Accepting the correction of Valesius, uvi pmpiQi (‘a certain blindness’) for the MSS
nonsensical itptopiQi ('vengeance’).
19 Acacius is the object of this attack. At Chalcedon the patriarch of Constantinople had
been given the right to consecrate the metropolitan of Ephesus, and this consolidated the
control of the diocese of Asia which successive Constantinopolitan patriarchs had been
trying to obtain. Paul of Ephesus had been ordained in accordance with previous practice
(iii.6 with n. 24 below); Acacius was presumably responsible for his ejection, perhaps sug¬
gesting to Leo or Zeno that the anti-Chalcedonian stance of the province was part of Paul’s
illegal machinations, but then also tried to turn Basiliscus against the bishops of Asia by
alleging lack of enthusiasm for the new emperor’s views.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
139
And further on: ‘Accordingly do not allow anything else to go forth
that is contrary to your sacred Encyclicals, knowing, as we said, that the
whole universe will be overturned again, and that the evils which came
about through the Synod at Chalcedon will be found small, even though
indeed they brought about those countless slaughters, and unjustly and
unlawfully poured forth the blood of the orthodox.’ 20
And further on: ‘We solemnly protest in the presence of our Saviour
Jesus Christ: for our piety is unconstrained; 21 we request the just, cano¬
nical and ecclesiastical condemnation and deposition that has been
brought upon them, and especially upon the man who has for many
reasons been discovered to be an unsaintly bishop in the imperial city.’ 22
The same Zachariah also writes this, in these terms, that when the
imperial encyclical letters had been issued, those [ 106 | in the imperial
city who were infected with the illusion of Eutyches and who were prac¬
tising the monastic life, as if reckoning to have encountered some
godsend in Timothy, and hoping to track down their particular position
in the Encyclical, came to him in a hurry. And they retired and withdrew,
as if convinced by Timothy that the Word of God is consubstantial with
us in the flesh and is consubstantial with the Father in Godhead. 23
In contrast to the previous two brief extracts, Allen, Evagrius 125, regarded this suppo¬
sedly verbatim quotation as merely an abridgement of Zachariah, but not enough of the
original letter survives in ps.-Zachariah to prove this assertion.
20 I.e. no Counter-Encyclical. This and the following paragraph are not preserved in ps.-
Zachariah.
21 The sense of this interjection is obscure; BEL 345 omits the phrase ‘for our piety’,
while Festugiere (310, with discussion of possible textual changes in n. 13) keeps close to
the literal meaning of the Greek, ‘for our piety is free’ (£A.Ei)9epo;v). I would interpret this
as a further assertion by the bishops that their pious decisions had been reached without
interference or compulsion; this assertion was then specifically retracted in their recanta¬
tion, quoted at iii.9 (esp. 108:29-9 ‘we have subscribed not in accordance with our intention
but under constraint’).
22 Another attack on Acacius, who would appear to have been formally deposed by the
local Synod, although, again, he is not mentioned by name.
23 Zachariah v.4, returning to the time before Timothy’s departure from Constantino¬
ple. As heir to Dioscorus’ position, Timothy might appear a natural ally to the followers of
Eutyches (cf. ii. n. 103 above, and Zachariah, loc. cit., for an occasion when even the Alex¬
andrians demanded that he utter a specific anathema against Eutyches), but he had in fact
consistently distanced himself from the Eutychian position that Christ’s flesh came from
heaven and His divinity had entirely absorbed His human nature. Zachariah states that
the Eutychian monks withdrew from Timothy, refusing communion with him, but that
140
EVAGRIUS
6 The same man says that Timothy, after setting out from the imperial
city, came to Ephesus and enthroned Paul as archbishop for the city of
the Ephesians. He had already been ordained in accordance with the
more ancient practice by the bishops of the diocese, but had been
expelled from his see. He also restored to the city of the Ephesians the
patriarchal right which the Synod at Chalcedon had removed from it, as
I have narrated. 24 Leaving there, he came to the city of the Alexandrians,
and continued in this manner to demand that those who came into his
presence should anathematize the Synod at Chalcedon. Accordingly, as
is narrated by the same Zachariah, many others from his party severed
themselves from him, including Theodotus, who was one of those
ordained at Joppa by Theodosius, who had been made bishop of Jeru¬
salem by certain people when Juvenal hurried off to Byzantium. 25
7 He also states that Acacius, the prelate of the city of Constantine, being
deeply distressed at these events, 26 stirred up the monastic community
other unspecified individuals attached themselves to him on seeing his rejection of the
Eutychian doctrine; Evagrius has obscured the distinction.
24 A continuation of the same chapter in Zachariah (v.4). The ‘more ancient practice’ of
ordination by local bishops refers to the situation up to the end of the fourth century.
Ephesus was not a patriarchal see, but had possessed the patriarchal right to consecrate
the metropolitan bishops within its region; in 402, however, in a highly controversial
move, John Chrysostom had attempted to assert the disciplinary authority of Constantino¬
ple over the neighbouring dioceses by deposing various heretical bishops and consecrating
replacements, including one at Ephesus. This created a point of tension between Ephesus
and Constantinople, which explains why Ephesus was a good place to hold anti-
Constantinopolitan Councils in 431 and 449.
Canon 28 of Chalcedon had confirmed the superior position of Constantinople, includ¬
ing this right of consecration (the latter is not, in fact, mentioned by Evagrius in his accounts
of the Council in Book ii).
25 For Theodosius and his ordinations in Palestine, cf. ii.5, with nn. 79-81 above.
Evagrius has misrepresented the numbers and motives of Timothy’s opponents. There was
extravagant rejoicing in Alexandria at Timothy’s return, with his supporters chanting ‘You
have feasted on your enemies, father’ (Theodore Lector 409). Zachariah v.4 presents
Timothy as a mild and forgiving man, who was happy to welcome everyone back into com¬
munion provided that they anathematized the Tome of Leo and the Council of Chalcedon,
but his tolerance angered some hard-liners, who wanted stricter controls on the penitents,
and these withdrew from communion; the majority welcomed Timothy’s kindness and
generosity.
26 Zachariah v.5 is more specific: Acacius was troubled by the reinstatement of Paul at
Ephesus, Timothy at Alexandria and Peter at Antioch, and by the threat that a Council
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
141
and the people of the imperial city on the grounds that Basiliscus was
heretical; 27 and that the latter in turn repudiated the Encyclicals,
composed an ordinance to the effect that what had been done in haste
was completely void, and sent out Counter-Encyclicals which
commended the Synod at Chalcedon. 28 And he has passed over these,
which he terms Counter-Encyclicals, since he composed his whole work
from a biased standpoint, but they were as follows, in these words: | 107 |
Counter-Encyclicals of Basiliscus
The emperors, Caesars, Basiliscus and Marcus. The apostolic and
orthodox faith which prevailed in the universal churches from
aforetime and from the beginning, which both prevailed up to
our reign and prevails under our reign and ought to prevail unto
eternity, in which we were baptized and trust, we decree that it
alone prevails, as it does indeed prevail, unwounded and unsha¬
ken and that it eternally should hold authority in all the universal
and apostolic churches of the orthodox, and that nothing else be
sought. For, on this account, we also enjoin that whatever has
against him would be convened at Jerusalem. Acacius was not an ardent supporter of Chal¬
cedon doctrinally (Theodore Lector 406), and he had little or no theological objection to
Basiliscus’ Encyclical; his main concerns were for the status of his see, which had been guar¬
anteed at Chalcedon, and his own position since the influential Theopompus (for whom see
n. 8 above) had been mentioned as a replacement.
27 A detailed narrative is contained in the Life of Daniel the Stylite 70-85: after an
attempt by Basiliscus to secure the holy man’s support failed, Acacius sent some of the mon¬
astic leaders to beg Daniel to descend from his column and come to the city to rescue the
Church; Daniel agreed, and then led a tumultuous procession from S. Sophia to the palace
at the Hebdomon and back, during which numerous miracles occurred; the intensity of
popular opposition induced Basiliscus to come to S. Sophia and stage a public reconcilia¬
tion with Acacius and Daniel. Acacius also appealed for support to Rome, and Pope Sim¬
plicius responded with letters to the presbyters and archimandrites of Constantinople,
Acacius and Basiliscus ( Epist. Avell. 56-7, 59).
28 The Counter-Encyclical does not, in fact, contain any commendation of Chalcedon,
except in the sense that by cancelling Ihe Encyclical, which had anathematized Chalcedon,
the legitimacy of the Council was reinstated (it is interpreted in this sense by Rufus, Pleroph-
ories 82-4, 86; cf. John of Nikiu 88.34). The version of the Counter-Encyclical preserved in
Vaticanus gr. 1431 contains a final sentence in which doctrinal affiliation is left up to the
individual (Schwartz, ‘Codex’ p. 52:17-20; other minor variants noted by Festugiere 485-
6), which made Basiliscus’ doctrinal neutrality absolutely clear; Allen, Evagrius 126-7,
speculates that this was deliberately omitted at some stage by a pro-Chalcedonian, in
order to increase the impression of a Chalcedonian triumph.
142
EVAGRIUS
occurred during our reign, whether as Encyclicals, or in other
forms, or indeed anything else whatsoever connected with faith
and ecclesiastical organization, be null and void, while we
anathematize Nestorius and Eutyches, and every other heresy,
and all who hold the same opinions; and that there will be no
Synod or other investigation concerning this subject, but these
matters will remain unbroken and unshaken; and that the
provinces, whose ordination the see of this imperial and glorious
city controlled, should be returned to the most devout and most
holy patriarch and archbishop, Acacius; of course, those who
currently are bishops most beloved of God should remain in their
own sees, but after their deaths no precedent should arise from
this to the right of ordination of the undefiled see of this imperial
and glorious city. 29 This sacred decree of ours is confirmed,
beyond any dubiety, to have the force of a sacred ordinance.
And these matters proceeded in this way.
8 But Zeno, after a vision, so they say, of the holy, greatly tried proto¬
martyr Thecla, who encouraged him and promised the restoration of
the empire, marched on Byzantium, after suborning with gifts those
who were besieging him; he drove out Basiliscus in the second year of
his control of the realm 1108 ], and handed him over to his enemies when
Basiliscus approached the holy shrines. This Zeno dedicated a huge sanc¬
tuary of outstanding magnificence and beauty to the protomartyr Thecla
at Seleucia, which lies near the country of the Isaurians; he adorned it
with very many imperial dedications, which are preserved even in our
time. 30 And so Basiliscus was sent to the country of the Cappadocians
29 The crucial points for Acacius: no new Council, at which he might be condemned, and
restoration of his rights of ordination.
30 The cult of Thecla had recently been promoted by the local bishop, Basil of Seleucia,
who composed a poem about her actions, and, more importantly, by an anonymous local
priest (an enemy of Basil) who wrote the extant account of her life and miracles: see Dagron,
Vie , and for discussion of the remains of the domed church at Becili / Meriamlik, near modern
Silifke, ibid. I. 55-73. As a local Isaurian saint she was a natural supporter for Zeno; Daniel
Ihe Stylite had predicted to Zeno both his expulsion and eventual return, and had reinforced
this with a pronouncement on the imminent overthrow of Basiliscus (Life 68,85).
Of the generals who had besieged Zeno, Illus accompanied him back to Constantinople in
476, while Trocundes was sent to secure Antioch; Illus abandoned Basiliscus after the usurper
failed to honour various promises. Armatus, who was supposed to prevent Zeno from
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
143
to die, but he was murdered at the road-station of Cucusus together with
his wife and children. 31 And Zeno made a law annulling the things
framed by Basiliscus the usurper in his Encyclicals. 32 And Peter, who
was surnamed Fuller, was expelled from the Church of the Antiochenes,
and Paul from that of the Ephesians. 33
9 To pacify Acacius the bishops of Asia entreated and begged forgive¬
ness, transmitting statements of repentance in which they stated that
they had subscribed to the Encyclicals under compulsion, by no means
voluntarily, and they affirmed on oath that this was really so and not
otherwise, and that they had believed and did believe in accordance with
the Synod at Chalcedon. 34 The purport of their writings was as follows:
A letter, or rather a petition, dispatched to Acacius, Bishop of
Constantinople, by the bishops of Asia.
To Acacius the most holy and most saintly patriarch of the
most holy Church at the imperial Constantinople, the New Rome.
And further on:
There has arrived among us, in accordance with proper pro¬
cedure, 35 the one indeed who will fill your place.
approaching Constantinople, was won over by the promises of the position of magister
militum praesentalis for himself, and that of Caesar for his son Basiliscus. See Malalas
378:17-380:17.
Basiliscus ruled for one year and eight months.
31 Basiliscus had fled with his family to the baptistery of S. Sophia, but had been induced
to leave the sanctuary by a promise that he would not be executed or put to death; as a result
he was sent to Cappadocia, where the family was walled up in the tower of a fort (called
Limnae in Malalas 380:12) and allowed to starve to death. Cucusus, which was located
about 60 km south-east of Caesarea in Cappadocia, was in fact regarded as a city in the
fifth century: see Jones, Cities 182.
32 Cod. lust, i.2.16, a measure which, while re-establishing the state of affairs before
Basiliscus’ coup, in fact extended the jurisdiction of the patriarch of Constantinople: see
Martin, ‘Canon’ 440-2.
33 The expulsions were part of the reversal of Basiliscus’ acts; Peter was sent into exile at
Euchalta (Malalas 380:21-3).
34 I.e. the exact opposite of the assertions in their letter at iii.5 (see n. 21 above).
35 Festugiere (314 with n. 26) translates this as 'in good health’, the equivalent of Kak&q
7iotd)v, on the grounds that Evagrius tended to replace normal expressions by an unusual
phrase, but these words occur in a quotation from a document, which Evagrius is unlikely
to have adapted. The bishops had good reason to signal their acceptance of Acacius’ right to
send a deputy to them to impose order.
144
EVAGRIUS
And a little later:
Through these depositions we make known that we have sub¬
scribed not in accordance with our intention but under constraint,
agreeing with these matters in written word and speech but not
with the heart. For through your welcome entreaties and with
the assent of the Almighty, we believe just as we have received
from the 318 lights of the universe and the | 109 ] 150 holy
Fathers, and, in addition to these, in what was piously and cor¬
rectly formulated at Chalcedon by the sacred Fathers who were
also gathered together there.
N ow whether Zachariah the rhetor falsely accused them, or whether
they lied in stating that they subscribed unwillingly, I am unable to say. 36
10 Then after Peter, Stephen succeeded to the see of Antioch. The sons of
the Antiochenes slew him with reed-pens which had been sharpened like
spears, as has been recorded by John the rhetor? 1 After Stephen, Calan-
dion controlled the helm of the said seat: he arranged that those who
came into his presence should anathematize Timothy, as well indeed as
the Encylicals of Basiliscus. 38
36 The petition to Acacius is not preserved in our text of Zachariah (v.5), which alludes
to its contents in a single sentence; thus we have lost the accusation which Zachariah is said
to have made against the bishops of Asia, but in successive petitions to Basiliscus and
Acacius they had solemnly made contradictory statements about their attitude to the Ency¬
clical, asserting on each occasion that they were giving their opinion without constraint (cf.
n. 21 above). Evagrius, only too aware of the rapid reversals of episcopal decisions, is pre¬
pared to accept that the bishops may have lied in protesting their support for Chalcedon.
For Monophysite exploitation of the frequent changes, see Rufus, Pterophories 59.
37 Malalas 381:2-13. The sequence of bishops at Antioch is extremely confused. Peter’s
immediate successor was one of his followers, John Codonatus, who was replaced after
three months by the pro-Chalcedonian Stephen in early 477 (Theophanes 125:15-17).
Peter’s supporters attacked Stephen for Nestorian views, but he was vindicated at a Synod
at Laodicea (Theophanes 126:5-9); Stephen was murdered on 9 March 479, when he left the
city to attend the festival of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste at the church to a local saint,
Barlaam; his attackers were, allegedly, his own clergy (Malalas 381:2-7). Theophanes
(128:17-26; restored as Theodore Lector 421) states that this was a second Stephen, who
hadjust replaced his homonymous predecessor (cf. Zachariah iv.12, p. 100).
For the literary affectation ‘sons of the Antiochenes’, cf. i.20 (p. 29:8) with n. 175 above.
38 Because of the disorder in Antioch, Zeno instructed Acacius to choose the next patri¬
arch for the city, although the Antiochenes had meantime again chosen John Codonatus:
Theophanes 128:22-6. Calandion, a staunch Chalcedonian who did not accept Zeno’s
Henoticon (for which see iii. 14), was ordained in Constantinople (Zachariah iv.12 omits
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
145
11 And Zeno intended to banish Timothy from the city of the Alexan¬
drians, but on learning from some that he was already old and had all
but entered the universal resting-place, he checked his intention. And
indeed shortly afterwards he paid off the common debt. And those in
the Alexandrians’ city, on their own authority, appointed as bishop
Peter, who was surnamed Mongus. When this news came to Zeno, he
was annoyed; and Zeno superimposed on him the death penalty, but
summoned Timothy, successor to Proterius, who was residing at
Canopus because of popular disturbances. And Timothy took over his
own see on the orders of the emperor. 39
12 But, at the instigation of certain people, John, an elder who had been
placed as administrator of the venerable shrine of the holy Forerunner
and Baptist John, reached the imperial city to negotiate that, if it
happened that their bishop departed from among men, the inhabitants
of the city of Alexander should have the power to | 110 ] promote as
prelate whomsoever they might wish. This man, as Zachariah states,
was detected by the emperor to be soliciting the bishopric for himself;
after providing oaths that he would never seek the Alexandrian see, he
returned to his own country. And the emperor decreed that after
Timothy’s death the man for whom the clergy and the community voted
should be bishop. 40 When Timothy died not long after, John gave
him). Evagrius does not mention that he persuaded Zeno to permit the transfer to Antioch
from Philippi in Macedonia of the remains of Eustathius, the anti-Arian bishop of Antioch
exiled to Thrace by Constantine (Theodore Lector 435).
39 Evagrius now returns to Zachariah (v.5). Timothy died on 31 July 477, and almost
immediately one of his deacons, Peter Mongus (the soubriquet referred to a speech impedi¬
ment, ‘hoarse-voiced’), was consecrated, even though there were not the requisite three
bishops present to perform the ceremony (Peter the Iberian, Bishop of Maiuma, Theodo¬
sius, Bishop of Antinoe, and the monk Isaiah: Letters of Severus 38 [PO 12, pp. 294-5]). By
early September Zeno’s orders for the reappointment of Timothy Salophaciolus had
arrived, which caused tumult and slaughter according to Zachariah; Theodore Lector 416
presents the opposite view. Peter Mongus fled into hiding.
Rufus, Plerophories 13, records a prediction that Timothy would return from exile for
two years, and would be succeeded on his death by his archdeacon; under the latter there
would be an incurable schism in the churches, which would last until the Antichrist.
40 Zachariah v.6 (Evagrius has omitted a proclamation by Martyrius of Jerusalem,
which anticipated Zeno’s Henoticon (see iii. 14) in stressing the authority of the first three
ecumenical Councils). A deputation of Alexandrians had urged Zeno to reinstate Peter
Mongus once Timothy Salophaciolus was dead; John Talaia, a monk from the Tabennesiote
146
EVAGRIUS
bribes, as the same Zachariah has written, and was promoted to the bish¬
opric of the city of the Alexandrians, in disregard for what he had sworn
to the emperor. When the emperor learnt this he ordered that man to be
expelled. On the suggestion of certain people he wrote a proclamation
to the Alexandrians, which he called Henoticon, after decreeing that the
see of Alexandria should be granted to Peter, if he should subscribe to
this and receive into communion those of Proterius’ party. 41
13 Pergamius, who had been appointed prefect of Egypt, conveyed this
disposition which had been compiled on the advice of Acacius, the
bishop of the imperial city. On reaching the city of Alexander and disco¬
vering that John had fled, he met Peter and persuaded him to receive the
proclamation of Zeno, and furthermore too those who had separated
off. Accordingly he received the aforesaid proclamation and subscribed
to it, and promised that he would receive those from the opposite side.
And so during a public festival in the city of the Alexandrians when
everyone accepted the so-called Henoticon of Zeno, Peter also received
those of Proterius’ party. And after composing a proclamation to the
populace in church, he read out the proclamation of Zeno, which was as
follows: 42 1111]
monastery (i.e. one which followed the Pachomian rule) at Canopus, who was steward,
oikonomos, of the Alexandrian church, was sent by Timothy to counter this and demand
Ihe appointment of one of his own persuasion. Zeno suspected John of collusion with Illus
and Leontius, whose loyalty was already in doubt, and forced him to swear that he would
not accept the throne of Alexandria. Imperial attempts to control the episcopal succession
at Alexandria had not been successful so far, since the imperial appointees Proterius and
Timothy Salophaciolus had failed to establish themselves; Zeno was now paving the way
for the return of Ihe popular Peter Mongus (Theodore Lector 422 alleges bribery by Peter).
The church of the Baptist at Alexandria was located on the site of the former Serapaeum:
Rufinus xi.27.
41 Zachariah v.7. Timothy died in February 482; John was elevated by the Chalcedonian
party and reported this to Illus at Antioch, but not to Zeno at Constantinople (Frend, Rise
177). Theodore Lector describes John as a holy man who fought for true doctrine (417). It
was on the advice of Acacius (as acknowledged at iii.13) that on 28 July 482 Zeno issued a
doctrinal formula, the Henoticon, which would encourage reconciliation at Alexandria and
elsewhere.
42 Zachariah v.7. Theognostus, Ihe predecessor of Pergamius as praefectus Augustalis,
had supposedly been bribed to support Ihe election of John Talaia. Peter had doubts about
Ihe failure of the Henoticon to condemn Chalcedon explicitly, but decided that he agreed
with what it actually said; his return to the Great Church was occasion for much celebra-
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
147
The Henoticon of Zeno 43
14 The emperor Caesar Zeno, pious, victorious, triumphant,
greatest, eternally revered, Augustus, to the most devout bishops
and clergy and monks and laity in Alexandria and Egypt and
Libya and Pentapolis.
We know that the origin and composition, the power and irre¬
sistible shield of our empire is the sole correct and truthful faith,
which through divine guidance the 318 holy Fathers gathered at
Nicaea expounded, while the 150 similarly holy Fathers assembled
at Constantinople confirmed it. Night and day we have employed
every prayer, effort and law so that the holy universal and aposto¬
lic Church of God everywhere may be multiplied through it - the
Church which is the incorruptible and never-ending mother of
our sceptres - and that the pious people, remaining in peace and
concord concerning God, may proffer acceptable supplications
on behalf of our empire, together with the bishops most beloved
of God, and the most God-revering clergy, and archimandrites
and monks. For while our great God and saviour Jesus Christ,
who was made flesh and born of the holy Virgin and Mother of
God, Mary, approves and readily accepts our harmonious glorifi¬
cation and worship, on the one hand the enemy nations will be
tion, and Peter took the opportunity to harangue the crowds in favour of the Henoticon
(emphasizing that it abrogated Chalcedon) and to praise Zeno, before he actually read out
the document. Theodore Lector naturally records the opposing version (424) which stresses
John's popularity and the reluctance of the clergy and people to see him depart.
43 The text is also preserved in Schwartz, ‘Codex’ no. 75 (pp. 52:22-54:21), with minor
variants noted by Festugiere 486-8. The Encyclical of Basiliscus had been well received by
the majority of Eastern clergy, and had failed primarily because of its tactless disregard for
the newly confirmed privileges of the Church of Constantinople. Apart from Antioch
(where Calandion's control was shaky), the major sees of the Eastern Church were currently
occupied by bishops who were unenthusiastic about, or opposed to, the doctrines of Chal¬
cedon. A recent pronouncement by Martyrius of Jerusalem (Zachariah v.6) pointed the way
to unity in the East, and this was developed by Zeno, on the advice of Acacius: emphasis on
Nicaea, praise for the Council of Constantinople and Cyril’s Twelve Anathemas, condem¬
nation for Nestorius, Eutyches and any innovation in the faith; the Tome of Leo and Chal¬
cedon are disregarded, but not explicitly condemned. The Henoticon, issued on 28 July 482,
was moderately and cautiously phrased: this ensured its ultimate failure, since Monophy-
sites wanted an anathema on Chalcedon and Leo, while Chalcedonians could not tolerate
the demotion of‘their’ Council. See Frend, AAe 176-83.
148
EVAGRIUS
utterly destroyed and annihilated, while on the other all will incline
their own neck to our power that is with God, while peace and its
blessings, temperate weather and bounty of produce and other
advantages will be freely bestowed on mankind. 44
Therefore, since the blameless faith thus preserves both us and
| 112 ] Roman affairs, petitions have been brought to us by God-re¬
vering archimandrites, and hermits, and other respected men;
they beg with tears that there be union in the most holy churches,
and that limbs be attached to limbs, which the hater of beauty
from remotest times has pressed hard to sever, since he knew that
he would be defeated if he waged war on the united body of the
Church. For from this it comes about that there are indeed count¬
less generations, all those whom time has carried off from life in
so many years, of which some have departed deprived of the
baptism of rebirth, while others have been carried off to the inexor¬
able destination of mankind without having partaken of the divine
communion, and countless murders have been ventured, and with
the plethora of bloodshed not only the earth but now indeed the
very air has been infected. Who would not pray that these things
be transformed to the good?
For this reason indeed we have been concerned that you under¬
stand that both we and the churches everywhere neither have held,
nor hold, nor shall hold, nor do we know those who hold a different
creed or teaching or definition of faith or faith except the aforesaid
holy creed of the 318 holy Fathers, which the aforementioned 150
holy Fathers ratified. And if indeed anyone should hold one, we
consider him alien. For we are confident that this and only this, as
we have said, preserves our empire, and all the people who are
judged worthy of the light of salvation are baptized, on receiving
this and only this. This too was followed also by all the holy
Fathers who gathered at the city of the Ephesians, who also
deposed the impious Nestorius and those who subsequently
shared his views. This Nestorius, together with Eutyches, men
whose opinions are the opposite to the aforesaid, we too anath¬
ematize, accepting also the Twelve Chapters which were
44 Cf. Socrates vii.22.13-19, and Sozomenix.l. for the blessings which the piety of Theo-
dosius II secured for his empire (including peace, alleviation of bad weather, a good
harvest).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
149
pronounced by [ 113 ] Cyril of pious memory, Archbishop of the
holy and universal church of the Alexandrians. And we confess as
one and not two the only-begotten Son of God, even God, our
Lord Jesus Christ who in truth was made man, consubstantial
with the Father in divinity and the same consubstantial with us in
humanity. Who came down and was made flesh from the Holy
Spirit and Mary the Virgin and Mother of God. For we declare to
be of one being both the miracles and the sufferings which He
endured voluntarily in the flesh. For those who divide or confound
or introduce an illusion we utterly refuse to receive, since indeed
the sinless incarnation, that was in truth from the Mother of God,
did not create an additional entity of the Son. For the Trinity has
remained a Trinity even after one of the Trinity, God the Word,
was made flesh.
And so, knowing that neither the holy and orthodox churches
of God everywhere, nor the priests beloved of God who are in
charge of them, nor our empire, have tolerated or tolerate a differ¬
ent creed or definition of faith contrary to the aforesaid holy teach¬
ing, let us unite ourselves with no hesitation. We have written this
not in order to make innovations in the faith but so as to reassure
you. But we anathematize anyone who has thought, or thinks,
any other opinion, either now or at any time, whether at Chal-
cedon or at any Synod whatsoever, and especially the aforesaid
Nestorius and Eutyches and those who hold their opinions.
Accordingly, join with the Church, the spiritual mother, enjoying
the same sacred communion in it as us, in accordance with the
aforesaid one and only definition of the faith of the 318 holy
Fathers. For our all-holy mother the Church is eagerly awaiting
to embrace you as legitimate sons, and | 114 | yearns to hear your
sweet and long-awaited voice. Therefore hasten yourselves, for in
doing this you will both attract to yourselves the goodwill of our
Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ and be praised by our imperial
rule.
When this was read, all those in the city of Alexander were united with
the holy universal and apostolic Church.
15 Now John, whom we mentioned earlier, after fleeing from Alexan¬
dria, reached the elder Rome and caused confusion by saying that he
150
EVAGRIUS
had been ejected from his own see for the sake of the doctrines of Leo and
the Synod of Chalcedon, whereas another had been substituted who was
opposed to these. Simplicius, the bishop of the elder Rome, was disturbed
by this and wrote to the emperor Zeno, and Zeno responded accusing
John of being forsworn, for which reason and for no other he had been
driven from his bishopric. 45
16 And Calandion, the prelate of Antioch, wrote to the emperor Zeno
and to Acacius, prelate of Constantinople, and called Peter an adul¬
terer, 46 saying that he had anathematized the Synod of Chalcedon when
he came to the city of the Alexandrians. He was subsequently condemned
to inhabit Oasis, since he was believed to have supported lllus and Leon¬
tius and Pamprepius in the usurpation against Zeno. 47
Peter the Puller, the predecessor of Stephen and Calandion, as I have
said, recovered his own see. 48 This man also subscribed to the Henoticon
of Zeno, and addressed synodical letters to Peter, the bishop of the city
of the Alexandrians. Acacius, the prelate of Constantinople, was also in
union with him. Martyrius too, the bishop of Jerusalem, addressed syno¬
dical letters to Peter. 49 Thereafter certain people separated themselves
45 Zachariah v.9 (no mention of the letter of Simplicius in the extant version). For John
Talaia, see iii.12 with nn. 40-1 above. Simplicius had condemned Peter Mongus as a
Eutychian, and had written to Zeno to protest against his restoration to the see of
Alexandria; Simplicius died on 10 March 483, before learning of the Henoticon which had
sidelined Chalcedon; the full ramifications of this affair were handled by his successor, Felix
(Frend, Rise 181-2).
46 An adulterer because he was installed as bishop when the see of Alexandria was
already held by Timothy Salophaciolus.
47 On the revolt of lllus in 484, see iii.27 with n. 87 below. Antioch was one of the strong¬
holds of the rebels, and it might have been difficult for Calandion to avoid all involvement,
but it also appears that lllus had been cultivating links with supporters of Chalcedon, such
as John Talaia (Zachariah v.6). Calandion’s views were supported by other Eastern bishops,
who appealed to Pope Felix for help (Theodore Lector 426,430-1), and were subsequently
expelled by Zeno (Theophanes 134:1-6). On the Oasis in Egypt as a place of exile, cf. i. n. 58
above; Peter Mongus, cf. iii. 11-13, withnn. 39,42 above.
48 For Peter's stormy career, see n. 15 above. According to Zachariah v.9, he was warmly
welcomed as a new Simon Peter. Theodore Lector (443^4) refers to the many evils which he
perpetrated, of which the most damaging to the Chalcedonians was the appointment of
Philoxenus as bishop of Hierapolis; when it transpired that Philoxenus had not been bap¬
tized, Peter retorted that ordination was enough to make up for the lack.
49 A resume of Zachariah v.10-12, where the synodical letters are quoted; (hose of
Acacius and Martyrius were addressed to Peter of Alexandria, not Peter the Fuller. At his
restoration to Alexandria Peter Mongus had, before commending the Henoticon to the
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
151
from communion with Peter, with the consequence that Peter publicly
anathematized the Synod at Chalcedon. | 115 ] When this came to
Acacius of Constantinople, he was vexed and arranged to send people to
find out about this. Peter, wishing to reassure them that he had never
done anything of the sort, wrote a memorandum in which certain people
said that they were aware that Peter had done nothing of the sort. 50
17 This Peter, being opportunist and unstable, a man who adapted
himself to the occasion, was far from holding fast to a single opinion, now
anathematizing the Synod at Chalcedon, now uttering a recantation and
accepting it wholeheartedly. So, the said Peter wrote a letter to Acacius,
the prelate of Constantinople, which went like this word for word: 51
The most-high God will recompense your holiness for the great
toils and troubles with which, in the circuit of time, you have pro¬
tected the faith of the holy Fathers, which you have confirmed
through unceasing proclamations. Since in this we have found
that there is also contained the formula of the 318 holy Fathers, in
which we believed at our baptism, consequently we also believe; 52
this indeed was what the 150 holy Fathers gathered at Constanti¬
nople confirmed. So, by ceaselessly guiding everyone, you have
united the holy Church of God, persuading us with strongest
populace, stated that it cancelled and condemned the whole doctrine of the Council and the
Tome of Leo (Zachariah v.7).
50 Zachariah vi. 1. Peter Mongus was in an impossible position, since he was expected by
Zeno and the prefect Pergamius to welcome into communion former followers of Proterius,
provided they accepted the Henoticon (Zachariah v.7,9), but this upset his own Monophy-
site supporters, who were already worried by the Henoticon’s failure to condemn Chalce¬
don explicitly and were suspicious of Peter in spite of his anti-Chalcedonian speech when
presenting the Henoticon to the Alexandrians (see previous note). Acacius’ investigation
increased Peter’s difficulties, since acquittal implied that he had not condemned Chalcedon
and so estranged the Monophysites.
51 A more sympathetic judgement is offered by Frend, Rise 187: ‘Peter Mongus was
forced to balance on the tautest of tight-ropes.’ The letter does not survive elsewhere;
Allen, Evagrius 136, suggests that it was in fact a reply to the letter of Acacius to Peter men¬
tioned in iii.21.
52 Accepting, with Festugiere 323 n. 50, the transposition of ‘consequently’ from before
‘in which’, as suggested by Bidez-Parmentier (apparatus ad loc ), though this does disrupt
the common formula ‘we believed at baptism and still believe’. The alternative is to supply a
main verb, as BEL 356: ‘we were disposed to accord with it; that symbol in which we
believed at our baptism and still believe’. Fortunately, the sense is clear.
152
EVAGRIUS
proofs that there was nothing transacted contrary to these at the
most holy and ecumenical Synod which occurred at Chalcedon,
as it concurred with, and ratified what had been done by, the holy
Fathers at Nicaea. For, having found nothing new, of our own
accord we have joined in assent and have believed. 53
We have learnt that certain monks, envious of our brotherli¬
ness, have introduced into your saintly hearing certain slanders
which, not without difficulty, have diverted your saintliness to
anger: 54 11161 first, that we have transported to another place the
remains of our father who is with the saints, the blessed archbishop
Timothy, a thing which is in accord neither with God nor the laws.
And furthermore, they have leapt across to another matter which
is inconsistent and worse than the previous one. For how could
we anathematize the holy Synod at Chalcedon, in which we have
confirmed our belief? 55 The jealousy and fickleness of the populace
with us, and of the monks desirous of innovation, are not unknown
to, nor escape, your devotion: they have plotted together with
certain people of evil intent who have broken away from the
Church, and they are attempting to seduce the people. 56 And
through your prayers we have devised a discourse that is full of
healing and which does no harm to the holy Synod at Chalcedon,
since we know that nothing new was transacted at it; and as reas¬
surance of the innocent and a defence, we have arranged that
53 Peter’s language is certainly evasive, since he strongly implies complete acceptance of
Chalcedon, but without categorically stating this.
54 These monks must have been followers of Timothy Salophaciolus, and should be dis¬
tinguished from the main monastic opposition to Peter, which is described in Zachariah vi. 1.
Festugiere’s translation, ‘which could scarcely be able to divert ...’ (described as a slight
clarification: 323 n. 51) misses the point: Acacius had been convinced by the accusations of
Peter’s enemies (for the current translation, cf. BEL 356).
55 Peter does not explicitly answer either charge. With regard to the corpse of Timothy,
Peter’s complimentary language might suggest that he was thinking of his immediate
Monophysite predecessor, Timothy Aelurus, not Timothy Salophaciolus: the latter’s
corpse might well have been removed from the official patriarchal burial area, on the
grounds that he had been struck off the diptychs, and so was no longer recognized as a legit¬
imate bishop (Proterius was also struck off, but his corpse had been burnt at the time of his
murder). The accusation is also recorded by Theodore Lector 425; Liberatus 17, p. 130:25-
28.
56 For the nature of the Alexandrian populace, cf. ii.8 with nn. 94-5 above. Peter is prob¬
ably now referring to the Monophysite separatists.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
153
those who have united with us should say this. And with much
effort I have quickly prevented this. 57
But I inform your holiness that even now the monks, who are
constantly sowing tares, do not rest; they incorporate among
themselves as agents certain men who have never lived in monas¬
teries, and go about babbling various rumours against us and
against the ecclesiastical peace of Christ; they do not permit us to
act canonically and appropriately for the holy and universal
Church of God; they prepare the people here to rule us rather
than to obey us, and wish to do all that is inappropriate for God.
But we trust that your holiness will inform the most sacred
master of the universe of all things, and will make provision that a
formula be provided for them from his serenity, one required for
the ecclesiastical peace that is appropriate for both God and the
emperor, so that all may rest quietly in these things. 58 1117 ]
18 And John, who had fled to Rome, was bothering Felix, the bishop of
Rome after Simplicius, about what was being done by Peter, and, as
Zachariah says, he persuaded that a letter of deposition be dispatched
by the same Felix to Acacius on account of his communion with Peter.
Acacius did not accept this, on the grounds that it happened uncanoni-
cally, as is narrated by the same Zachariah - for some who were pursuing
the monastic life in the monastery of the so-called Sleepless presented it.
This too is recorded by Zachariah. But it seems to me that he knew
nothing of what was done in this, but is reporting mutilated hearsay. I
will proceed to relate the exact events. 59 When the petitions were
57 Like Timothy Aelurus, Peter presumably devised a brief form of words that he
required all those entering his presence to utter (Festugiere 324 n. 53). What Peter claims
to have prevented is, probably, schism at Alexandria (this was the objective of his concilia¬
tory formula), not the accusation that he had condemned Chalcedon (as Festugiere 324 n.
54, following Valesius).
58 This alludes to the opposition described in Zachariah (vi.l), which comprised deacons
and presbyters from the Alexandrian Church as well as monks; Peter had decreed the expul¬
sion of some monks from their monasteries, but his action had aroused further opposition.
Peter’s wish was for Zeno to issue a revised Flenoticon which explicitly rejected Chalcedon,
since this alone would ensure peace at Alexandria. The precise reference of ‘in these things’
(ev toutok;) is unclear.
59 Zachariah’s account of events does not survive, and the most detailed narrative is that
provided here by Evagrius; this appears to be based on the records of the Council which
Felix convened against Acacius at Rome on 28 July 484 (Allen, Evagrius 137), and Eva-
154
EVAGRIUS
presented by John to Felix against Acacius, on the grounds that he was
unlawfully in communion with Peter and concerning other matters
which were being uncanonically done by him, Bishops Vitalis and
Misenus were sent by Felix to Zeno to secure that the Synod at Chal-
cedon should prevail, that Peter should be expelled as heretical, and that
Acacius should be sent to Felix to render accounts on the matters
brought against him by John, whom we have often mentioned. 60
19 But before these men reached the imperial city, Cyril, the leader of the
so-called Sleepless, sent to Felix to reproach his slowness when such great
offences were being committed against the correct faith; and Felix wrote
to those with Misenus that they should do nothing before they encoun¬
tered Cyril, and discovered from him what was to be done. 61
gnus’ confidence in his source may explain the emphasis on his accuracy (cf. i.7 at n. 67 for
an analogous case). The brief version of Theodore Lector 431-4 (= Theophanes 131:23
132:1; 132:20-33) is referred to in a scholion to this chapter: see Bidez-Parmentier 244.
For Ihe flight of John Talaia from Alexandria to Rome, see iii. 15. The deposition of
Acacius could be dismissed as uncanonical because the patriarch was not given a chance
to defend himself, and had not been condemned by a full synod of Eastern patriarchs;
Felix and his successors justified the action on the grounds that Acacius had convicted
himself by holding communion with acknowledged heretics.
The Constantinopolitan monastery of the Sleepless Monks (Acoemeti), located on the
Golden Horn near the capital, derived its name from the fact that the monks in relays main¬
tained a continuous liturgy. It was a centre of staunch support for Chalcedon, and had been
used to house anti-Chalcedonian exiles such as Peter the Fuller: see further Janin, Eglises
16-17.
Delivery of the letter of deposition was not easy; the Pope’s envoy Totus had to evade the
guard posted at Abydus on the Hellespont, and then the letter was surreptitiously attached
to Acacius’ vestments during a service in S. Sophia (Liberatus 17, p. 131:12-17).
There is a check list, with references, to the documentation connected with this compli¬
cated dispute in Schwartz, Sammlungen pp. 161-70. The letter of deposition to Acacius is
Felix, Ep. 6 (Thiel); = Coll. Veron. 5 (Schwartz, Sammlungen pp. 6-7).
60 The bishops (Vitalis of Truentinum in Picenum, and Misenus of Cumae) carried
letters to both Zeno and Acacius: Felix, Epp. 1-2 (Thiel); = Coll. Berol. 20-1 (Schwartz,
Sammlungen pp. 63-73). These emissaries were probably the ones arrested at Abydus on
Ihe orders of Zeno and Acacius and then imprisoned (Theodore Lector 432-3).
61 The papal response to the Henoticon had been delayed by the illness and death of
Simplicius in March 483, and then by the need for Felix to discover the facts of a case
about which Acacius was deliberately not providing full information. This correspondence
is not otherwise attested.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
155
20 Other memoranda also came to them from Felix, as well as
letters to Zeno concerning the Synod at Chalcedon and the
persecution in Africa under Huneric. 62 He also sent messages to
Acacius. 63 Zeno responded to him that John had needlessly disturbed
him, since John had sworn that he would never | 118 ] on any account
make his way into the see of Alexandria, but that, violating and disre¬
garding his oaths, he had committed complete sacrilege; and that Peter
had not been ordained without scrutiny, but after subscribing with his
own hand that he accepted the faith of the 318 holy Fathers who had
assembled at Nicaea, which too the holy Synod at Chalcedon followed. 64
And this was written, in these terms:
It should be beyond dispute that both our piety, and the afore¬
mentioned most holy Peter, and all the most holy churches
accept and revere the most holy Chalcedonian Synod, which
accords with the faith of the Nicene Synod.
And there are contained in the transactions letters from the said Cyril
and other archimandrites of the imperial city, 65 and from bishops and
clergy of the Egyptian district to Felix, against Peter as a heretic and
against those who communicated with him. Those from the monastery
of the Sleepless who came to Felix also accused those with Misenus, on
the grounds that until their arrival at Byzantium Peter had been surrepti¬
tiously read out in the holy diptychs, 66 but that from that time until the
present it was done openly; and thus those with Misenus were in commu-
62 For these letters, cf. Theodore Lector 431. The Vandal conquerors of Africa were
Arians, and their first king, Geiseric, had prevented the ordination of orthodox bishops
and inflicted some martyrdoms. His son and successor Huneric (477-84) was much more
severe: only Arians were permitted to hold public office, and then, on 20 May 483, Huneric
reiterated the prohibition on Nicene clergy celebrating the liturgy and summoned their
bishops to a debate at Carthage on 1 February 484 (Victor of Vita, History i.29-51; ii.23,
39^47). This crisis would further have distracted the Roman Church from its dispute with
Constantinople.
63 Perhaps the letter preserved as Felix, Epp. 3 (Thiel); = Coll. Berol. 23 (Schwartz,
Sammlungen p. 75).
64 This letter does not survive elsewhere.
65 Felix’s replies to these letters survive: Felix, Epp. 12, 16 (Thiel); = Coll. Berol. 29-30
(Schwartz, Sammlungen pp. 77-9).
66 The diptychs were lists of people, deceased as well as alive, who received special
prayers during the liturgy; these lists were read out so that exclusion or inclusion of a
name was a public sign of the status of that individual, whether subject to anathema or
accepted as orthodox.
156
EVAGRIUS
nion. And the letter of the Egyptians said the same about Peter, and that
John was orthodox and lawfully ordained whereas Peter had been
ordained by only two bishops who were very similar to him in their false
doctrine; and that right from the time of John’s flight all forms of insults
had been imposed on the orthodox; that Acacius knew all this from
various people who had come to him in the imperial city, and that they
found Acacius to be Peter’s accomplice in everything.
21 Symeon, one of the Sleepless monks | 119 | who had been sent by Cyril,
exaggerated these things, for he accused those with Misenus and Vitalis
of being in communion with the heretics, since the name of Peter had
been expressly proclaimed in the holy diptychs, and in this way many of
the simpler folk had been misled by the heretics, who said that Peter had
been accepted by the see of Rome as well. And in response to various
enquiries Symeon said that those with Misenus did not agree to meet
any orthodox person, or arrange a delivery of their letters, 67 or establish
accurately any of the outrages against the correct faith. And Silvanus
too, a presbyter who had been with Misenus and Vitalis at the city of
Constantine, was brought in and confirmed the declaration of the
monks. A letter of Acacius to Simplicius was also read out, which said
that Peter had long ago been deposed and was a son of night. 68 And on
these grounds Misenus and Vitalis were removed from the priesthood
and severed from the undefiled communion, when the whole Synod
passed this vote in these terms; 69
The Roman Church does not accept Peter the heretic, who was
indeed long ago condemned by the vote of the holy see, excommu¬
nicated and anathematized. Even if there were no other objection
to him, this would have been sufficient, that since he was ordained
by heretics, he could not be leader of the orthodox.
It also contained this;
The affair demonstrated that Acacius of Constantinople deserves
a most substantial rebuke on the grounds that, although he
67 According to Theodore Lector (432-3) the letters had been confiscated after their
arrest; they were then threatened with execution and subjected to other inducements to per¬
suade them to communicate with Acacius.
68 The letter, which must have been sent before the Henoticon established union in the
East, survives in Coll. Veron. 4 (Schwartz, Sammlungen pp. 4-5).
69 The Council’s decision is at Schwartz, Sammlungen pp. 6-7.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
157
wrote to Simplicius and called Peter a heretic, he has not now
made this plain to the emperor, which he ought to have done if
he was truly devoted to Zeno. However, | 120 | by greed rather, he
is devoted to the emperor and is not devoted to the faith. 70
But let us return the account to the sequel. 71 A letter of Acacius was
brought to the prelates of Egypt, and the clerics, and monks, and the
whole populace, in which he attempted to restore the schism that had
occurred. He had also written to Peter, the bishop of Alexandria, about
these things.
22 Now, while the schism was at its height in Alexandria, Peter got some
of the bishops and archimandrites to communicate with him, after again
anathematizing the Tome of Leo and what was transacted at Chalcedon
and those who did not accept the writings of Dioscorus and Timothy.
And as he did not manage to persuade the rest, he drove the majority
from their monasteries. 72 Because of this Nephalius came to the imperial
city and reported these matters to Zeno. Being greatly disturbed he
dispatched Cosmas, one of his bodyguards, to convey numerous threats
against Peter for the sake of union, on the grounds that he had effected
great dissension through his personal harshness. Since none of his objec¬
tives turned out successfully for him, Cosmas retired to the imperial
city, after returning their own abodes to the solitaries who had been
driven out. 73 And next Arsenius was sent by the emperor, after being
70 Bidez-Parmentier (apparatus ad loc.) were uncertain about the text, but the sense is
defended by Festugiere, 328 n. 69: Acacius’ devotion to the emperor is flawed, perhaps
because it rested on ambition or greed, and he has no devotion to the faith. The proceedings
of the Council at Rome ended with an anathema on Acacius, to which he responded against
the Pope (Theodore Lector 434); Evagrius omits this exchange, which marked the start of
the Acacian schism that persisted until the accession of Justin I in 518.
71 Evagrius now marks his return to Zachariah’s narrative of problems in Egypt.
72 Zachariah vi.l; the separatists had appointed a commission led by Peter the Iberian
and the monk Elijah to investigate the strength of Peter’s opposition to Chalcedon, and they
selected four of his doctrinal works to which Peter was required to subscribe (presumably to
indicate that he had not changed his mind since their composition); some separatists
accepted this as equivalent to an anathema on Chalcedon, and returned to communion,
but others were not convinced; Bishop Theodore of Antinoe was forced out of his monas¬
tery. Severus, Letters i.60, p. 182, refers to troubles at Alexandria after Timothy began to
receive back Proterius’ followers.
73 Zachariah vi.2. On the envoy Nephalius, a monk from Nubia, see Moeller, ‘Represen-
tant’, esp. pp. 80-101. In 487 the separatist monks, supposedly numbering 30,000, gathered
158
EVAGRIUS
promoted as controllor of Egypt and of the military units. On reaching
the city of Alexander together with Nephalius, he initiated discussions
concerning union, but after failing to persuade he dispatched some of
them to the imperial city. And so a great many discussions concerning
the Synod at Chalcedon were conducted in Zeno’s presence, but they
produced nothing in practice, since Zeno utterly refused to anathematize
the Synod at Chalcedon. 74
23 In the meantime, after Acacius of Constantinople 1121 ] set out on the
common voyage, Fravita inherited the bishopric. When Fravita sent
synodical letters to Peter of Alexandria, Peter sent reciprocal letters,
going over the same things concerning the transactions at Chalcedon.
But when Fravita also departed this world after being bishop for only
four months, Euphemius was appointed bishop after him. This man
received Peter’s synodical letters which had been sent to Fravita. And
on finding the anathema against what was done at Chalcedon, he was
greatly disturbed and severed himself from communion with Peter. And
a letter by each of them is extant, both that from Fravita and that from
Peter to Fravita, which I will pass over on account of the length of the
text. 75 When accordingly they were on the point of coming into dispute
to present their complaints against Peter to Cosmas ( PLRE II. 326-7, s.v. Cosmas 3), but
only a delegation of about 200 was permitted to enter Alexandria for the confrontation in
the Great Church, for fear of popular unrest. Peter explicitly anathematized Chalcedon and
Ihe Tome of Leo, but most of the monks refused to accept the confession because Peter
remained in communion with the other patriarchs who, while accepting the Henoticon,
would not condemn Chalcedon (cf. Severus, Letters iv.2, pp. 254-5). The people of
Alexandria sided with Peter against the monks.
74 Zachariah vi.4. When Cosmas returned to Constantinople and informed Zeno of the
intransigence of Ihe separatists, who were effectively questioning the adequacy of the Heno¬
ticon, Zeno decided to coerce them into union with Peter, and to this end dispatched
Arsenius with exceptional military and civil authority (PLRE II. 152, s.v. Arsenius 2); if
this failed, the recalcitrant leaders were to be summoned to the capital. Zachariah does not
mention Zeno’s refusal to anathematize Chalcedon, and refers instead to his amazement at
Ihe chastity and intelligence of the monks.
Festugiere, 329 n. 70, is critical of the clarity of this chapter, somewhat unfairly.
75 Acacius died on 26 November 489, and his successor Fravita survived only until
March 490. The letters are preserved in Zachariah vi.5-6; Fravita’s is a moderate and non¬
committal invitation to union, whereas Peter’s reply proclaimed his attachment to the
Henoticon, which he incorrectly presented as an anathema on Chalcedon and the Tome of
Leo. According to Theophanes (133:7-14) Fravita tried to establish good relations with
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
159
with each other and summoning their own synods, Peter anticipated this
by dying and Athanasius succeeded to his see. He attempted to bring
together those who had separated, but he did not prevail since the
parties were divided into different opinions. Subsequently this Athana¬
sius dispatched synodical letters to Palladius, the bishop of the city of
Antiochus after Peter, and behaved similarly concerning the Synod at
Chalcedon. The same was also done by John, who succeeded to the see
at Alexandria after Athanasius. And after Palladius, the prelate at
Antioch, died and Flavian succeeded to his throne, Solomon, an elder of
Antioch, was sent by him to Alexandria, conveying synodical letters
and seeking reciprocal missives from John to Flavian. And after John
another John succeeded to the see of Alexandria. These matters
proceeded in this way as far as a certain point in Anastasius’ reign: for
he expelled Euphemius. I have had to link these together in sequence for
the sake of clarity and comprehension. 76 [122]
24 But Zeno, on the advice of Illus, also slew Armatus the relative of the
empress Verina: when this man had been sent against him by Basiliscus,
Zeno had won him by gifts, made him an ally instead of an enemy, and
appointed his son Basiliscus as Caesar in the city of Nicaea; but after
re-entering Byzantium he murdered Armatus and designated his son
Basiliscus as priest instead of Caesar. Subsequently this man was
accorded episcopal rank. 77
Pope Felix as well as Peter, but his inconsistent stance was revealed. Euphemius attempted
to restore communion with Felix, but his efforts were rebuffed since he refused to remove the
names of Acacius and Fravita from the diptychs (on which see n. 66 above): Theophanes
135:17-20. For the awkward position of the patriarchs of Constantinople, see Grillmeier,
Christ II I 263-6.
76 The material for this dense synchronism was provided by Zachariah vi.4, 6-7; Eva-
grius’ presentation was determined by that of his source, except that he omitted Zachariah’s
information on Jerusalem. Peter Mongus died on 29 October 489; his successor Athanasius
occupied the see until his death on 17 October 496; he was followed by John (496 - 29 April
505) and John II (505 - 22 May 516), who were too late to be included in Zachariah’s syn¬
chronism, which ended in 491.
At Antioch Peter the Fuller, who had returned to his see for the third and last time after
the deposition of Calandion in 484, died in 489; he was followed by Palladius (490-8) and
Flavian (498-512). At Constantinople Euphemius was removed in spring 496 (cf. iii.30 at n.
96, and iii.32withn. 113 below).
77 After the long section on the doctrinal consequences of the Henoticon for which
Zachariah was the basic source (iii.9-23), Evagrius returns to secular events recorded by
160
EVAGRIUS
25 Theoderic, who was Scythian by race, also rebelled against Zeno and,
after collecting his personal forces, campaigned in Thrace against Zeno:
he ravaged the country in his path as far as the mouth of the Black Sea
and almost captured the imperial city, but for the fact that some of
those who were particularly close to him were suborned and plotted to
slay him. On realizing that his own men were disloyal he retreated to the
rear, but not long afterwards he was reckoned among the deceased. 78 1
will also report the manner of his death, which occurred like this. A
spear with its thong prepared for throwing was hanging up in front of
his tent, as a barbarian insignia. Then, wishing to exercise his body, he
ordered a horse to be brought and, since he was not in the habit of
mounting with the help of a groom, he vaulted onto the horse. But it
was unbroken and headstrong, so that before Theoderic was seated
astride, it reared up its front legs, standing up straight on its hind legs
alone. While Theoderic was struggling hard, neither daring to rein in the
horse by the bridle lest it should fall on him, nor keeping his seat firmly,
but being whirled round hither and thither, he violently shook the spear
point, which struck him at an angle and wounded his flank. From there
he was taken to his bed and after surviving for a few days, he terminated
his life because of this wound. 79
Eustathius (cf. n. 84 below), though without making the chronological leap clear; cf. Allen,
Evagrius 120.
Armatus: PLREll. 148-9: he was nephew ofVerina and the usurper Basiliscus who sent
him to Asia Minor in 476, after the defection of Ulus, to prevent Zeno from returning to
Constantinople (cf. n. 30 above); Zeno had him murdered in the palace in 477/8 by one of
his own retainers on the grounds that he was untrustworthy (Malalas 381:14—382:9; Chron.
Pasch. 602:20-603:18; Theophanes 125:2-13), but Illus would undoubtedly have seen
Armatus as a rival and might also have been involved. The young Basiliscus was made a
reader at Blachernae, and subsequently became bishop of Cyzicus.
78 The Goth Theoderic Strabo, leader of one of the two tribal warbands in the Balkans
during Zeno’s reign: PLRE II. 1073-6 s.v. Theodericus 5; for detailed discussion of his
complex dealings with Zeno, see Heather, Goths and Romans 272-99. In 479 Theoderic
had led his troops on Constantinople to lend support to Marcian’s coup (see iii.26), but
Zeno sent gifts to him and his soldiers, which persuaded them to retire; in 481 he made a
determined attack on Constantinople, and attempted also to cross into Bithynia, but was
forced to retire.
79 The accident occurred while Theoderic was moving from the vicinity of Constantino¬
ple towards Greece in 481, at a place called the Stables of Diomedes (John of Antioch fr.
211.5).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
161
26 Next, 80 after a difference with Zeno, Marcian too attempted usur¬
pation; he was son of Anthemius, who had been emperor of Rome,
|123] and was related by marriage to Leo, the previous emperor, since
he had taken his younger daughter Leontia as wife. And when a fierce
battle had been joined around the palace and many had fallen on
either side, Marcian routed his opponents, and would have become
master of the palace if he had not let slip the opportunity by delaying
the action until the morrow. 81 For Opportunity is swift-winged and
when he lands at one’s feet is perhaps caught, but once he escapes the
grasp he takes to the air and laughs at his pursuers, not allowing
himself to be accessible thereafter. It is no doubt for this reason that
sculptors and painters, while letting his hair hang long in front, shave
his head behind to the skin: they most cleverly signify that when he
happens to come from behind he is perhaps seized by his hanging
lock, but when he gets in front he escapes clean away, since he has
nothing by which he may be seized by his pursuer. 82 This in fact
happened in the case of Marcian, who lost the opportunity that was
favourably disposed for him, but was unable to find it thereafter. For
on the following day he was betrayed by his own men and, being aban¬
doned alone, he fled to the precinct of the venerable Apostles. He was
dragged away from there by force and relegated to the city of Caesarea
in Cappadocia. And after entering the company of certain monks, he
was subsequently detected while planning to escape; he was banished
by the emperor to Tarsus in Cilicia, and after being shorn of his hair
80 Before the death of Theoderic.
81 Marcian (PLRE II. 717-18, s. v. Marcianus 17) launched a coup against Zeno in 479,
with the support of his brothers Procopius and Romulus and of Theoderic Strabo: in addi¬
tion to his links with the Western emperor Anthemius (467-72) and Leo, he was grandson of
the emperor Marcian, whose only daughter, Euphemia, had married Anthemius. Marcian
collected a force of foreigners and citizens, and launched attacks on Zeno inside the palace
and Illus; the assault on the palace was quite successful and Zeno only escaped capture by
flight (John of Antioch fr. 211.3).
82 A characteristic piece of moralizing by Evagrius which deliberately delays the narra¬
tive at a crucial point; for the sentiments, cf. vi.12, p. 230:2-6 (speech by Gregory of
Antioch). The reference is to a famous statue of Kairos, Opportunity, by Lysippus, of
which there is an explanation in the epigram by Posidippus ( Anth. Gr. xvi.275); for the
importance to Evagrius of timing and opportunity, cf. also v.19 (praise of Maurice), and
discussion in Chesnut, Histories 211.
162
EVAGRIUS
was ordained presbyter. 83 These things have been elegantly narrated by
Eustathius the Syrian. 84
27 The same man has written that Zeno concocted numerous plots
against his mother-in-law Verina, that thereafter he sent her off to the
province of Cilicia, and that subsequently, after the usurpation of Illus,
she moved to what is called the fort of Papirius where she departed this
life. 85 And Eustathius has most eloquently written about the affair of
Illus, how he escaped after being the object of plots by Zeno, and how
|124] Zeno committed to death the man who had been commanded to
slay him, providing for him the execution of his head as reward for
failure. As for Illus, Zeno even designated him commander of the
Eastern forces, as he strove to avoid detection. 86 But Illus, after attaching
83 Marcian had the upper hand on the first day of the coup, but lost the advantage when
he paused for food and sleep; overnight Illus was able to transport Isaurian reinforcements
from Chalcedon and, helped by some bribery from Illus, these tipped the balance in a fierce
fight on the next day; on being removed from the Holy Apostles, Marcian was ordained an
elder by Patriarch Acacius. He escaped from detention during an Isaurian uprising, and
caused trouble in Galatia, but was crushed by Illus’ brother Trocundes and imprisoned in
a fortress, perhaps in Isauria rather then at Tarsus. When Illus rebelled against Zeno, he
used his old rival as an envoy to Italy to seek help from Odoacer (Theophanes 126:35—
127:11; John of Antioch frr. 211.3-4,214.2; Theodore Lector 116:10-19).
84 Eustathius was probably the source for all the secular events in chs. 24—6, and he is
expressly referred to again for secular material in chs. 27 and 29. The secular narrative in
Theophanes 126:10-130:8, which covers the same sequence of revolts against Zeno, was
probably also derived from Eustathius (Allen, Evagrius 139); Candidus may have been the
ultimate source for Eustathius.
85 It was Zeno, rather, who had been the object of plotting by Verina, who had been
closely involved in the usurpation of her brother Basiliscus in 475-6; after Zeno’s return,
Verina was jealous of the influence of Illus, whose desertion of Basiliscus had permitted
Zeno to begin the recovery of his power, and in 478 she arranged an assassination attempt
on Illus with the help of the praetorian prefect Epinicius. Verina’s involvement eventually
became known, and Zeno was forced to surrender his mother-in-law to Illus (Candidus 89-
94); she was tricked into crossing to Chalcedon (perhaps the origin of the plotting by Zeno
which Evagrius mentions), where Illus got hold of her and took her east; she was made to
become a nun at Tarsus, and then confined in the fortress of Dalisandon in Isauria. Illus’
revolt in 484 returned her to prominence, since she was used to proclaim Leontius as
emperor (n. 87 below), but as the rebellion faltered she had to take refuge with Illus in the
fort of Papirius, where she died (John of Antioch frr. 211.1-3,214.2-5; Theophanes 128:30-
129:26; Malalas, Exc. delnsid. fr. 35).
86 There were at least three assassination attempts against Illus (details in PLRE II. 586-
90, s.v. Illus 1): in 477, after the murder of Armatus, Zeno instructed one of his slaves, Paul,
to kill Illus, but the latter narrowly escaped and was only soothed by the surrender of Paul
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
163
to himself as supporters Leontius, and also Marsus, a man of repute, and
Pampreprius, came to the Eastern regions. Next, the same Eustathius
most wisely reports the proclamation of Leontius which occurred at
Tarsus in Cilicia; and how these men profited from the usurpation after
Theoderic, a man who was Gothic by race but was also distinguished
among the Romans, was sent out against them with native and foreign
forces; and that the men were miserably slain by Zeno in return for their
support for him; 87 and that Theoderic, on perceiving the treachery of
Zeno, withdrew to the elder Rome, although some say that this was
indeed at the suggestion of Zeno. And after overcoming Odoacer in
battle he subjected Rome to himself and nominated himself king. 88
and the award of the consulship for the following year; the next attempt was that arranged
by Verina in 478 (see previous note); in 480 the empress Ariadne, after failing to persuade
Ulus to release her mother, secured Zeno’s consent for another attempt, and Illus only nar¬
rowly escaped an attack in the Hippodrome, losing his right ear in the process. In his anxiety
to retain Illus’ loyalty while the Theoderics were causing trouble in the Balkans, Zeno
allowed him to withdraw from Constantinople and appointed him magister militum per
Orientem in 481.
87 Zeno finally broke with Illus in 483, when the latter refused to release Zeno’s brother,
Longinus, who had been his prisoner since 475. Illus rebelled in 484, and solicited help from
the Persians, Armenians and Odoacer. Zeno sent Leontius, another Isaurian who was cur¬
rently magister militum per Thracias (PLRE II. 670-1, s.v. Leontius 17) to crush the revolt,
but Illus won him over and had him proclaimed emperor by Verina on 19 July; Marsus, an
honorary ex-consul (PLRE 11. 728-9, s. v. Marsus 2), was another Isaurian associate of Illus;
both Leontius and Marsus were connected with the pagan philosopher Pamprepius ( PLRE
II. 825-8), who had come to Illus’ notice by predicting the failure of Marcian’s revolt. The
rebels were severely defeated near Antioch in September 484, and withdrew to the fort of
Papirius in Isauria, where they held out for four years until their betrayal and execution.
Theoderic the Amal ( PLRE II. 1077-84, x.v. Theodericus 7) was currently magister
militumpraesentalis and consul for 484: hence there is no need for Festugiere’s addition of
‘later’ to qualify his distinction ‘among the Romans’ (334 n. 82: assuming that the distinc¬
tion refers to his conquest of Italy); he collaborated with John the Scythian against Illus,
probably commanding both his Gothic warband and the regular troops of the praesental
army, but he was recalled to Constantinople when Zeno began to suspect his loyalty, and
his troops also returned after the siege of Papirius began.
88 Theoderic already had experience of Zeno’s treachery (Malchus fr. 18), and could
contemplate the fates of Armatus and Illus. Theoderic was at odds with Zeno by 486, when
he ravaged Thrace; in 487 he pillaged the suburbs of Constantinople, but was persuaded to
retire when his sister brought a large gift of money from the capital. In 488 agreement was
reached between Zeno and Theoderic that the Goths would move west to oust Odoacer
(PLRE II. 791-3, s.v. Odovacer), whose control of Italy Zeno had never recognized; after
defeats in 489 and 490, and a long siege in Ravenna, Odoacer was killed in 493 while nego-
164
EVAGRIUS
28 John the rhetor narrates that in the time of Zeno a former artisan
Mamianus became distinguished and participated in the senatorial
council, and that in the suburb of Daphne he constructed the so-called
Antiforum, which occupied a site that was previously given over to
vines and was suitable for cultivation, opposite the public bath; there
stands the bronze statue of Mamianus, the lover of the city. In the city
he executed two colonnades, which were extremely beautiful in their
construction and adorned with a conspicuous resplendence of stone¬
work; as a sort of interposition between the two colonnades, he set up a
Tetrapylon which was most ornately provided with columns and bronze
work. 89 We have found that the colonnades still preserve, along with
their appellation, remnants of their former glory in the Proconnesian
marbles that comprise the floor, [125| although the construction does
not actually contain anything notable: for they recently underwent
reconstruction because of the calamities that have occurred, and
nothing was added to them as decoration. But of the Tetrapylon that
was made by Mamianus, we have not found even the slightest trace. 90
29 Now, when Zeno died childless from the disease of epilepsy after the
seventeenth year of his reign, his brother Longinus, who had advanced
to a position of great power, hoped to confer the empire on himself; but
he did not obtain what he expected, for Ariadne conferred the crown on
Anastasius, although he had not yet reached the senate but was enrolled
in the so-called schola of the silentiaries. 91 Now Eustathius narrates that
tiating with Theoderic. See further Heather, Goths and Romans 304-8; Moorhead, ‘Theo-
deric’.
89 Presumably statues, as Festugiere 335 n. 83.
90 Malalas’ account does not survive, with the exception of one sentence in the Slavonic
translation (p. 103) referring to Mamianus’ buildings at Daphne. Mamianus is otherwise
unknown. An Antiforum at Antioch is attested in 507, when rioters suspended the corpse of
Ihe praefectus vigilum from a statue there (Malalas 397:23), and there was also one at Edessa;
they were perhaps enclosed structures like a later bazaar, a substitute for the traditional
forum. The location of the colonnades and Tetrapylon is unknown, though they might have
replaced those on the island destroyed in the earthquake of 458: see Downey, Antioch 500-1.
91 Zeno died on 9 April 491; cf. Theophanes 135:31-136:5, probably derived ultimately
from Eustathius (Jeep, ‘Quellenuntersuchungen’ 161). Malalas, 391:1-4, gives dysentery as
the cause of death. A less pleasant version is recorded in Cedrenus (I. p. 622:7-23) and
Zonaras (xiv.2.31-5): Zeno was buried alive, after either becoming insensible through
drink or suffering unspecified pains, and, though he shouted from inside the imperial sarco¬
phagus, Ariadne would not allow anyone to open it.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
165
from the start of the reign of Diocletian up to the death of Zeno and
the proclamation of Anastasius 207 years have elapsed; and from
the sole rule of Augustus 532 years and 7 months; and from the
reign of Alexander of Macedon 832 years with a similar addition of 7
months; and from the Roman kings and Romulus 1052, also plus 7
months; and from the capture of Troy 1686 plus 7 months. 92 This
Anastasius, who had as his homeland Epidamnus, which is now called
Longinus (PLRE II. 689-90, s. v. Longinus 6) had been held captive by Illus for a decade
(cf. n. 87 above), but after his release in 485 he became magister militum praesentalis , and
was consul for a second time in 490.
Anastasius was crowned on 11 April; for the silentiaries, cf. ii n. 116 above. There had
been long deliberations about the succession, until eventually the senate entrusted the deci¬
sion to Ariadne; before the coronation, Anastasius had to give a promise of orthodoxy to
Patriarch Euphemius. There is a detailed narrative in Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De
Cer. i.92.
92 Theophanes (136:16-20) also marks Zeno’s death with a computation which has one
common element with Evagrius, the years from Diocletian; Theophanes was more con¬
cerned with the annus mundi (cf. Malalas 391:5-6), which was not part of Evagrius’ chron¬
ological scheme. Some writers marked the start of the reign of their contemporary emperor
with a chronological calculation (Malalas on Justinian; Chronicon Pcischcile on Heraclius),
and Eustathius may well have provided the basis for Evagrius’ reckoning. On the other
hand, the early years of Anastasius’ reign were also a time of eschatological significance,
since on most calculations the world would soon reach its 6,000th year (Alexander,
Baalbek 118-20), which would also make a chronological summation relevant.
Of the dates, the calculation from the start of Diocletian’s reign (284) is accurate; that for
the sole of rule of Augustus would work out at September 43 BC, which is very close to the
beginning of the Second Triumvirate. The figure for Alexander is suspect, since the interval
between the death of Alexander and the start of Augustus should have been 280 years, not
300; it is likely that either Evagrius, when drawing on Eustathius, or a copyist was distracted
by the Augustan figure (532 giving rise to 832 instead of 812). It can be deduced that the
original version of Malalas agreed with the figures for Diocletian and Augustus, but differed
on Alexander (for which Malalas’ figure is also suspect): see Jeffreys, Studies 116-18.
The calculation for the Roman kings and Romulus is more problematic, since it produces
the year 563 BC; in Malalas the interval between the overthrow of the kings and Augustus
was 482 years (464 consular years plus 18 years for Julius Caesar: 214:1-4; 215:21-216:2),
not 520 as here. At ii. 16 (cf. ii n. 151 above) the figure of 1303 years is given for the time
between Romulus and the end of Ihe Western Empire in 476 (i.e. 828 BC for Romulus).
The date for Troy works out as 1197 BC; the most common calculation is equivalent to
1183 BC (R. Rutherford, Homer, Greece and Rome Surveys 26 [Oxford, 1996] 2); Malalas
synchronized the reign of Priam of Troy with that of David of Israel (91:1-2), which would
point to a date about half a century earlier than in Evagrius.
The fact that the last four dates all offer a figure for years ‘plus 7 months’ is suspicious;
whoever made the calculations, not knowing the exact dates, decided that all these events
166
EVAGRIUS
Dyrrachium, took over Zeno’s empire as well as Ariadne, the wife of the
same Zeno. 93 And first he dispatched to his place of origin Zeno’s
brother Longinus who held the office of magister, which men previously
called commander of the regiments at court, and thereafter many other
Isaurians as well, who had supposedly requested this. 94
30 This Anastasius, since he was a peaceful person, wished to make
absolutely no innovations, especially in connection with the position in
the Church. But he exercised every [ 126 ] means so that the most holy
churches should remain undisturbed, and every subject enjoy profound
tranquillity, with all strife and contention being removed from ecclesias¬
tical and political affairs. 95
And so, during this period, whereas the Synod at Chalcedon was
neither openly proclaimed in the most holy churches, nor indeed univer¬
sally repudiated, each of the prelates conducted himself according to his
belief. And some adhered very resolutely to what had been issued at it,
and made no concession with regard to any syllable of what had been
defined by it, and did not even indeed admit a change of letter; rather,
with great frankness they also recoiled from, and absolutely declined to
occurred at the start of the indiction year (1 September; i.e. seven months before Anastasius’
accession).
93 For Anastasius’ relatives, see PLRE II. 78-80, s. v. Anastasius 4; Ariadne had in fact
selected the elderly Anastasius for the empire and as her spouse.
94 Zeno’s brother was in fact banished to Alexandria, where he died eight years later in
the Thebaid (John of Antioch fr. 214b; Theophanes 137:1-5, who adds that he was ordained
a presbyter). It was another Isaurian, Longinus of Cardala (PLRE II. 688, s. v. Longinus 3),
who was currently magister officiorum (for Evagrius’ circumlocution to describe the office,
cf. the description of Celer at iii.30, p. 130:24-5); he was dismissed from office by Anastasius
as part of a general purge of Isaurians, and returned to his own country where he soon
organized a revolt of similarly disgruntled compatriots.
95 Evagrius was very favourably disposed towards Anastasius (see Introduction, and
Allen, Evagrius 166-70), and so presents a rosy picture of the state of the churches under
him, though it is also true that there was a period of calm during his first decade. At his
accession, Anastasius was already suspect on grounds of doctrine, and had to give Patriarch
Euphemius a written oath against doctrinal innovation before his coronation could proceed
(iii.32), and in his later years he supported the move towards a moderate Monophysite posi¬
tion. The Syriac Chronicle of Edessa alleged that Anastasius, in his 21st year, attempted to
have the text of the acta of Chalcedon removed from Euphemia’s tomb, but was thwarted
by a divine fire (p. 9 of the Guidi translation). Theodore Lector’s account is systematically
hostile to Anastasius (4461T.).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
167
tolerate communion with those, who did not accept what had been issued
by it. Others, on the other hand, not only refused to accept the Synod at
Chalcedon and what had been defined by it, but even encompassed it
and the Tome of Leo with anathema. Others relied on the Henoticon of
Zeno, and that even though they were at odds with one another over the
one and the two natures, since some were deceived by the composition
of the missive, while others inclined rather to greater peace. As a result
all the churches were divided into distinct parties, and their prelates had
no communion with one another. Consequently it came about that
there were very many divisions both in the East and in the western
regions and in Libya, since the Eastern bishops were not on terms with
those in the West or in Libya, nor in turn were the latter with those in
the East. The situation became more absurd. For the prelates of the
East were not even in communion with each other, nor indeed were
those directing the sees of Europe or Libya, and much less so with outsi¬
ders. When the emperor Anastasius saw this he expelled those of the
bishops who were making innovations, if ever he found one, contrary to
the custom for the region, either by proclaiming the Synod at Chalcedon
or encompassing it with anathema. | 127 | Thus he banished from the
queen of cities first Euphemius, as has been recorded earlier, and then
Macedonius, after whom came Timothy, while from Antioch he
banished Flavian. 96
96 For the confused position in the churches, see Allen, Evagrius 145-6; Gray, Defense
34-40; Frend, Rise 190-201; there are predictions of the disunity in Rufus, Plerophories 50-
1. Throughout Anastasius’ reign the Eastern Churches were divided from the Pope and the
Western Churches by the Acacian schism which had arisen from the challenge to Chalcedon
presented by Zeno’s Henoticon (see iii. 18-21); the Henoticon had ignored the Tome of Leo
(cf. n. 43 above), thereby insulting papal ambitions to provide doctrinal leadership for the
whole Church. As is clear from the next chapter, Libya (i.e. Cyrenaica) followed the doc¬
trinal lead of Egypt (for the close link, see Rufus, Plerophories 14).
The successive banishments at Constantinople and Antioch indicate Anastasius’ opposi¬
tion to Chalcedon and, contrary to Evagrius’ assertion, his willingness to override local pre¬
ferences; Theodore Lector (449) records that Anastasius accused Euphemius of plotting
with the Isaurians after he had betrayed a confidential remark (cf. 455). In the capital the
population was not in favour of Monophysite Christology: their views were clearly ex¬
pressed during the usurpation of Basiliscus, and in 491 they had chanted for an orthodox
emperor; once Anastasius was chosen, they urged him to rule like a new Marcian (De Cer.
i.92, p. 425:3^4), rioted in favour of Euphemius (Theodore Lector 455), and violently
opposed the Monophysite addition to the Trisaghion chant (iii.44). Euphemius and Mace¬
donius were staunch Chalcedonians, whereas Flavian was one of those who accepted
Zeno’s Henoticon.
168
EVAGRIUS
31 Now, when writing to Alcison concerning Macedonius and Flavian,
the monastic community in Palestine spoke as follows, word for word: 97
After Peter was laid to rest, Alexandria and Egypt were again
separated off by themselves since Athanasius, who took over
after Peter, sent a document anathematizing the Synod in the
synodical letters to the bishops of Constantinople, Antioch and
Jerusalem. 98 And since this was not accepted, from that time
Alexandria and Egypt and Libya have continued by themselves,
and the whole of the rest of the East by itself, while the West
would not tolerate being in communion with them on any
other terms except that both Peter Mongus and Acacius be
added to the anathema on Nestorius, Eutyches and Dioscorus.
And so, while the churches throughout the universe were in this
state, the genuine followers of Dioscorus and Eutyches were
everywhere reduced to a minute number. And when they were
all but on the point of disappearing from the earth so that they
did not exist, Xenai'as, who is truly a stranger to God 99 - with
For Euphemius’ removal in 496, see iii.23 (p. 121:32) andn. 113 below; the depositions of
Macedonius in 511 and Flavian in 512 are treated in the following chapters (iii.32-3).
97 Cf. iii.33 below for another extract from this letter, and ii.5 (p. 52) for a paraphrase.
The letter, which was composed towards the end of Anastasius’ reign (c. 515-16), is cited to
provide a narrative of the main stages in the depositions of Flavian of Antioch and Mace¬
donius of Constantinople, though in each case Evagrius also presents supplementary infor¬
mation. Zachariah of Mitylene’s History, which had underpinned Evagrius’ account of
ecclesiastical events during the reigns of Leo and Zeno, terminated with the accession of
Anastasius, so that Evagrius was now forced to construct his narrative from what informa¬
tion came to hand.
Alcison of Nicopolis was one of the leading Chalcedonian theologians of the early sixth
century (cf. ii n. 80 above).
98 Cf. iii.23, p. 121:19-22, where only the letter to Antioch is mentioned.
99 There is a pun on the name of Xenai'as (Philoxenus of Mabbug) and xenos, ‘stranger’.
Philoxenus, a Syriac speaker from Persia, was one of the leading Monophysite writers who,
with his contemporary Severus of Antioch, established a distinctive Monophysite theology.
He had been appointed bishop of Mabbug (Hierapolis) by Peter the Fuller in 485, and there¬
after managed to push much of the Patriarchate of Antioch to adopt a Monophysite posi¬
tion. See Honigmann, Eveques 66-8; Frend, Rise 214-17; and for his doctrinal position,
Chesnut, Christologies part II.
Although there were relatively few people who accepted the extreme position of
Eutyches, the Palestinian monks have overstated the decline in support for Dioscorus
(witness the troubles of Peter Mongus at Alexandria) in order to exaggerate the impact of
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
169
what objective and in pursuit of what enmity towards Flavian
we know not, but, as many relate, on pretext of the faith -
began to agitate against him and to slander him as a
Nestorian. 100 When that man had anathematized Nestorius
along with his ideas, he switched again from him to
Dioscorus, 101 and Theodore, and Theodoret, and Ibas, and
Cyrus, and Eutherius, and John, and we know not who else or
from where he collected them. 102 Whereas some of these in
reality propagated the views of Nestorius, others, although sus¬
pected, anathematized him and | 128 | were laid to rest in the
communion of the Church. He said: ‘If you do not anathematize
all these who held the opinions of Nestorius, you will share the
views of Nestorius even though you anathematize him and his
views ten thousand times.’ By missives he also stirred up the fol¬
lowers of Dioscorus and supporters of Eutyches, persuading
them to join him in opposition to Flavian, not however to
demand an anathema of the Synod but only of the aforemen¬
tioned individuals.
After Bishop Flavian had resisted these for some time and
others had become involved with Xenaias against him, Eleusinus,
a bishop of Cappadocia Secunda, Nicias of Syrian Laodicaea,
Philoxenus; for Monophysites, the deposition of Dioscorus was one of the key errors of
Chalcedon.
100 Flavian had been chosen by the emperor as patriarch of Antioch in 498 because,
though Chalcedonian by inclination, he accepted Zeno’s Henoticon, and so was a suitable
appointment for a see that embraced a wide variety of Christological views. For Philoxenus,
the Henoticon was no more than a starting point on the road towards complete rejection of
Chalcedon; his main challenge to Flavian began in 508.
101 Diodorus (of Tarsus) must be substituted for Dioscorus, who had been one of Nes¬
torius’ fiercest enemies. Diodorus was held responsible for the education of both Nestorius
and Theodore (cf. i. n. 21 above).
102 Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrrhus and Ibas of Edessa were all leading
Antiochene theologians with doctrinal views similar to those of Diodorus and Nestorius;
the orthodoxy of both Theodoret and Ibas had been upheld at Chalcedon (cf. ii. n. 69
above), though the trio constituted the basis for the Three Chapters controversy of Justi¬
nian’s reign (see iv.38). Cyrus, Eutherius and John are otherwise unknown, but are also in¬
cluded in the comprehensive anathemas of Monophysite enemies in the introductory speech
of Severus and the letter of Anthimus to Severus (Kugener, ‘Allocution’ 276-7; ps.-Zach.
ix.21. p. 275, who adds Paul of Samosata, Photinus, Andrew, Alexander of Hierapolis, Ir-
enaeus the twice-married and Barsauma the Persian).
170
EVAGRIUS
and others from elsewhere 103 - it is for others, not us, to describe
the causes of their niggardly attitude to Flavian - finally, thinking
that he could pacify them with regard to these men, he yielded to
their disputatious behaviour. And he anathematized the indivi¬
duals in writing and dispatched it to the emperor; for indeed,
they had aroused the emperor against him on the grounds that
he represented the ideas of Nestorius. 104 Not even satisfied with
this, Xena'ias demanded of Flavian a further anathema, of the
Synod itself and of those who had spoken of the two natures in
the Lord, the flesh and the divinity; and when Flavian did not
concede, he again denounced him as a Nestorian. After much
commotion over this, when the patriarch made an exposition of
faith in which he acknowledged that he accepted the Synod as
regards the deposition of Nestorius and Eutyches, but not as
regards a definition and teaching of faith, 105 again they attacked
him as one who surreptitiously shared the ideas of Nestorius, if
he would not add also the anathema of the Synod itself and of
those who had spoken of the two natures in the Lord, the flesh
and the divinity. And they also seduced the Isaurians to their
side with many deceitful arguments; | 129 | and when they had
made a document of faith in which they anathematized the
Synod together with those who had spoken of two natures or
properties, they separated from Flavian and Macedonius, and
allied with others who subscribed to the document. 106
103 On Eleusinus, Bishop of Sasima, see Honigmann, Eveques 114-16 (Theophanes
149:28 notes his prominence as an opponent of Chalcedon), and on Nicias, ibid. 35-6.
Philoxenus had significant support in his own province of Euphratesia, and on the occasion
of the Synod of Sidon in 511 he also won over Symeon of Chalcis, Peter of Beroea, Marinus
of Beirut and Thomas of Anasartha, in addition to Nicias (ibid. 13).
104 Cf. Theophanes 151:11-20 for Flavian’s condemnation of individuals and ideas
associated with Chalcedon, but not of the Council itself; Flavian also attempted to turn
Anastasius against Philoxenus and Constantine of Seleucia for condemning the Council.
Philoxenus had visited Constantinople in 507, which was presumably when he secured Ana¬
stasius’ support for his subsequent attacks on Flavian.
105 Flavian’s doctrinal position was now virtually identical with that of the Formula of
Severus (see next note).
106 This probably refers to the Formula, or Typos , drafted by Severus in 510, perhaps in
the hope that it would be promulgated by Anastasius as a new Flenoticon: a version survives
in Armenian, of which there is an English translation in Grillmeier, Christ II. 1 275. While
upholding Zeno’s Henoticon, Severus’ Formula condemned the Tome of Leo, the Chalce-
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
171
Meanwhile they also demanded from the bishop of Jerusa¬
lem a written statement of faith; 107 this he produced and dis¬
patched it to the emperor by means of men who were followers
of Dioscorus. They presented this, which contained an anath¬
ema of those who spoke of two natures. But the bishop of Jeru¬
salem himself, asserting that it had been forged by them,
presented another without such an anathema. And no wonder:
for indeed they have forged many works of the Fathers, and
many works of Apollinarius they have through their headings
attributed to Athanasius and Gregory the Wonder-Worker and
Julius. 108 By these means above all they attach many to their
particular impieties. They also asked Macedonius for a written
statement of faith. This he produced, affirming that he knew
only the faith of the 318 and the 150, while anathematizing
Nestorius and Eutyches and those who hold the doctrine of
two Sons or Christs or divide the natures, but he mentioned
neither the Synod at Ephesus, which deposed Nestorius, nor
that at Chalcedon, which deposed Eutyches. Vexed at this, the
monasteries around Constantinople separated from Bishop
Macedonius. 109 Meanwhile both Xenai'as and Dioscorus, after
donian expression ‘in two natures' and the writings of Diodorus of Tarsus; the Council of
Chalcedon was accepted only for its disciplinary measures, in particular the condemnations
of Nestorius and Eutyches. The Formula was presented by Philoxenus to a Synod at Sidon
in 511 (ps.-Zach. vii.10), but the Monophysites were in a minority and Philoxenos, with only
nine fellow bishops, withdrew from communion with Flavian and Elias. Opinion in Isauria
was divided (Rufus, Plerophories 21-3), though the metropolitans Constantine and Solon
of Seleucia supported Severus (Letters i.1-4).
107 Elias, Patriarch of Jerusalem 494—516.
108 Theodore Lector 473 (= Theophanes 151:27-31) records that Elias condemned Nes¬
torius, Eutyches, Diodorus and Theodore, but upheld Chalcedon. The doctrines of Apolli¬
narius, the fourth-century Christological heretic who espoused the full divinity of Christ,
were regarded as an antecedent of Eutyches; he was in fact a friend of Athanasius, the
great anti-Arian patriarch of Alexandria (328-73) and welcomed him on his return from
exile in 346; Pope Julius (337-52) supported Athanasius during his various exiles; Gregory
the Wonder-Worker was a third-century pupil of Origen, whose views he followed. For the
prevalence of forgeries, cf. Allen, Evagrius 148 n. 20,164 n. 105.
109 Bardy (in Fliche and Martin IV. 311) suggested that this statement of faith by Mace¬
donius must have been forged by enemies, since his silence about both First Ephesus and
Chalcedon was so extraordinary. Evagrius’ report is similar to the story in Theodore
Lector 487-8 (= Theophanes 154:25-155:5), where Anastasius is alleged to have deceived
172
EVAGRIUS
winning over many of the bishops, were irresistible in their
moves against those who were not prepared to pronounce an
anathema. As for those of them who did not in the end yield,
they contrived by many devices that they be subjected to banish¬
ment. Thus in this manner they banished Macedonius and John,
the bishop of Paltos, and Flavian. 110
And so this was what the letter said. |130]
32 But there were other things indeed which made Anastasius
smoulder away in secret. For when Ariadne wished to clothe Anasta¬
sius in the purple vestment, Euphemius, who directed the archiepis-
copal seat, would not consent unless and until Anastasius had, by
means of documents and dire oaths, given Euphemius a confession
written in his own hand to the effect that, if he were to obtain the scep¬
tres, he would keep the faith inviolate and would not introduce any
innovation to the holy Church of God; this indeed he handed over to
Macedonius, who was entrusted with the guardianship of the revered
treasures. 111 Ele had effected this because Anastasius had in general a
reputation for Manichaean belief. 112 Accordingly, when Macedonius
Macedonius with a statement of faith that mentioned only the first two Councils; the patri¬
arch, eager for compromise, accepted the statement, but then had to visit the monastery of
Dalmatus to soothe the irate monks by making clear his support for Chalcedon. For the
diverse Christological allegiance of monasteries at Constantinople and Macedonius’
attempts to unify them, see Theophanes 141:19-142:5.
110 In spite of imperial favour, the Monophysites did not succeed in all their attempts, at
least at first. Macedonius was deposed on 7 August 511 (see further iii.32), but the Synod at
Sidon later that year was a brief reverse; Flavian, however, was deposed in the next year by a
Synod held at Laodicaea in Isauria, and Elias only held on to his position until 516. Discus¬
sion of events in Grillmeier, Christ II.1 278-88. Little is known about John of Paltos: Hon-
igmann, Eveques 30.
This Dioscorus is not otherwise known. Cyril of Scythopolis names Soterichus of Caesar¬
ea in Cappadocia as Philoxenus’ ally.
111 I.e. skeuophylax. The detailed account of the accession in De Cer. i.92 refers to a
public oath by Anastasius that he would not pursue grievances against those with whom
he had previously had dealings (vol. i, p. 422:18-21); Euphemius probably demanded the
doctrinal oath when he visited Ariadne on behalf of the senate, and discovered who was
her choice of emperor.
112 Patriarch Macedonius was alleged to have used this accusation against the emperor
(ps.-Zach. vii.7-8). Theodore Lector 448 (= Theophanes 136:13-16) records that Manichees
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
173
ascended to the priestly throne, 113 Anastasius wished to recover his
personal confession, saying that the imperial rule would be insulted if
the statement in his own hand were to remain in existence. And since
Macedonius resisted this most resolutely and asserted that he would
not betray the faith, the emperor concocted all types of plots against
him in his desire to drive him from his seat. Accordingly, for example,
boys were even brought forward as accusers and falsely alleged inde¬
cent acts between themselves and Macedonius. But when it was discov¬
ered that Macedonius had been deprived of his genitals, they
proceeded to other devices, until on the advice of Celer, the commander
of the regiments at court, Macedonius secretly withdrew from his own
and Arians were overjoyed at Anastasius’ accession, since his mother was a Manichee and
his uncle an Arian (Theodore also mentions several anti-Arian miracles during Anastasius’
reign). Manichee was often a general term of religious abuse which might be applied to
anyone whose Christological doctrines or ascetic practices met with disapproval; cf. Marc.
Com. s.a. 519.
113 In 496, when his predecessor Euphemius was deposed after an investigation; he had
been charged with heresy after attempting, with the help of Pope Felix, to depose Athana¬
sius of Alexandria because of the latter’s hostility to Chalcedon and the Tome of Leo (ps.-
Zachariah vii.l).
114 Macedonius had opposed Philoxenus of Mabbug when the latter visited the capital
in 507 to win support in his dispute with Flavian of Antioch, and he continued to resist
Monophysite initiatives, including the addition of ‘who was crucified for us’ to the
Trisaghion; Severus and Macedonius clashed on this issue in 511. and at a confrontation
with Severus on 20 July Macedonius refused to permit the use of the Monophysite Trisa¬
ghion; on 6 August the patriarch was deposed by a local Synod. On 7 August the victorious
Monophysites took over S. Sophia, and Macedonius was ordered into exile at Euchalta. See
Daley, ‘Apollo’ 34—41.
Ps.-Zachariah vii.7-8, and Theodore Lector 474-96 (cf. Theophanes 152:6-156:9)
contain detailed accounts, respectively from Monophysite and Chalcedonian angles, of
the carefully orchestrated campaign against Macedonius, which included accusations of
treachery against the emperor as well as support for Nestorius. Macedonius clearly had a
considerable following among local monks and at court (including the empress Ariadne),
and his opponents had to move carefully: monasteries had their water supplies reduced,
guards were placed at harbours and gates to prevent the monks from entering the city, and
Anastasius gave a donative to the troops. In the hostile ps.-Zachariah, the magister officior-
um Celer is presented as an associate of the patriarch, who was chosen to convey the order of
exile as a humiliation; a more sympathetic explanation would see Celer as the man most
likely to persuade the popular patriarch to leave quietly, or to provide a credible guarantee
of safe conduct.
Evagrius’ narrative of Anastasius’ actions against Macedonius, which places more
174
EVAGRIUS
Other matters are connected with the expulsion of Flavian, for
we have encountered some extremely old people who have
preserved in their memory all that happened in the case of
Flavian. 115 They say that the man Xenaias - Xenaias, who is called
Philoxenus in the Greek tongue, was prelate of the nearby Flierapolis
- persuaded the monks of the so-called Cynegike | 131 | and all those
who are located in the province of Syria Prima to burst into the city in
a body, with commotion and utmost confusion, to force Flavian to
anathematize the Synod at Chalcedon and the Tome of Leo. While
Flavian was protesting at this and the monks were pressing with great
vehemence, the populace of the city rose up and effected a great
slaughter of the monks; as a result many of them, indeed a countless
number, were allotted the Orontes as their grave, their bodies being
laid to rest by the waves. 116 And there also came about another incident
not inferior to this. For the monks of Coele Syria (which is now called
Secunda) were sympathetic to Flavian since he had practised the
monastic life in a certain monastery situated in the countryside (its
name was Tilmognon), 117 and they came to the city of Antiochus,
wishing to defend Flavian; and so then too events of no small signifi¬
cance took place. And so, either as a result of the former, or of the
responsibility on the emperor himself than does ps.-Zachariah’s version, is scarcely consis¬
tent with the earlier praise for Anastasius’ eirenic behaviour in doctrinal matters.
115 Flavian was deposed in 512, so that it would have been possible for Evagrius, when
collecting information for his work in the late-580s, to have encountered some witnesses of
the violent events.
116 The populace of Antioch, as in all major cities, had a reputation for violence: in 507
victory celebrations of the Green Faction had included the destruction of a synagogue, and
resulted in the disembowelling of the praefectus vigilum (Malalas 395:20-398:4); during
Zeno’s reign a local monk had incited the mob to attack the Jews and dig up their bones
(Malalas, Exc. de Insid. fr. 35), and there had also been riots in 494/5: see Downey,
Antioch 504-7.
Patriarch Flavian, as one of the major patrons in the city, could command a considerable
popular following, whereas Monophysite support was strongest in monasteries somewhat
removed from the patriarchal seat. Syria Prima covered the northern and eastern parts of
the diocese, while the Cynegike was an area to the south-west of Chalcis.
117 Second Syria, the region centred on the Orontes valley to the south of Antioch,
already had a reputation for being anti-Monophysite, and the bishop of Apamea had
appealed to Pope Felix in the context of discussions about Zeno’s Henoticon (Felix, Ep. 6
[Thiel]; = Coll. Veron. 5 [Schwartz, Sammlungen p. 6:6-7]). The location of Flavian’s mon¬
astery is unknown.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
175
latter, or indeed of both, Flavian was expelled and condemned to live in
Petra, which lies on the borders of Palestine. 118
33 Accordingly, when Flavian had been expelled, Severus ascended to the
priestly see of the city of Antiochus, when the city was reckoning its 561 st
year, in the month Dios, in the sixth indiction of the current cycle,
whereas at the time of this composition it was reckoning its 641 st year. 119
As his native land he had been allotted the city of the Sozopolitans, which
is in the province of the Pisidians, and had previously engaged in the
study of law at Beirut. But immediately after his training in the laws he
received holy baptism in the sacred sanctuary of Leontius, the venerable
martyr, who is honoured at Tripolis in coastal Phoenicia, and transferred
to the monastic life in a certain monastery which lies midway between the
city of Gaza and | 132 | the town known as Maiuma. There too Peter the
Iberian, who was the prelate of the said Gaza and had fled together with
Timothy Aelurus, went through the same trials and has left behind for
himself a great reputation. And Severus grappled in debate with
Nephalius, who had formerly been of the same party as him with regard
to the one nature, but who later became one of the Synod at Chalcedon
and of those who advocate two natures in our Lord Jesus Christ. He was
driven out of his own monastery by the said N ephalius and his supporters,
along with numerous others who held opinions similar to his own. From
there he went up to the emperor’s city to plead on his own behalf and of
those who had been driven out together with him; and he became an
acquaintance of the emperor Anastasius, as these matters are described
by the author of the Life of Severus. 120 Accordingly, when writing syno-
118 Although Philoxenus had failed to have Flavian condemned at the Synod at Sidon in
511 (cf. nn. 102,105 above), he travelled to Constantinople to secure Anastasius’ support for
his removal (ps.-Zach. vii.10 11); ps.-Zachariah admits that there was some violence in
Antioch. Bishops were expected to contribute to the maintenance of law and order within
their cities, so that a serious outbreak of religious rioting (hinted at in ‘events of no small
significance’) could be exploited as grounds for dismissal. For Petra as a place of exile, cf. i.
n.58 above.
119 On 6 November 512; Evagrius was composing the chapter 80 years later, in 592/3.
120 Most of our information on Severus’ early life comes from the two Lives, both ori¬
ginally written in Greek but now preserved only in Syriac, by his friend and fellow student,
Zachariah scholasticus, and by John, the abbot of Beth Aphthonia. Severus came from a
prosperous Pisidian family; his grandfather attended First Ephesus as bishop of Sozopolis,
and had been among those to condemn Nestorius. Severus himself, born in the mid-460s,
studied in Alexandria before moving to the law school at Beirut in about 486; his fellow
176
EVAGRIUS
dical letters, Severus expressly anathematized the Synod at Chalcedon; 121
concerning this the missives to Alcison state the following words: 122
Whereas the synodicals of Timothy, who is now bishop of Con¬
stantinople, were accepted here in Palestine, the deposition of
Macedonius and Flavian was not accepted; nor too were the sy¬
nodicals of Severus. On the contrary, indeed, those who conveyed
them here fled the city, justifiably disgraced and insulted, since the
people and the monks were roused against them. 123 This is the
situation in Palestine; but of the subordinates of Antioch, some
students included both crypto-pagans and Christian enthusiasts, and Severus appears to
have been relatively uncommitted, to the extent that Zachariah had to defend him against
accusations of pagan sympathies. Peter the Iberian, who visited Beirut in 488, was influen¬
tial in persuading Severus to become an active Christian; after baptism at Tripolis and a
spell in the monastery of Romanus near Eleutheropolis, Severus was ordained as a presby¬
ter in Peter’s monastery at Maiuma and then founded his own community nearby.
In 482 Nephalius (cf. iii.22 with n. 73 above) had been spokesman for the strict Monophy-
site opponents of Peter Mongus in Egypt, which would have placed him in the same doc¬
trinal camp as Severus. In 507, however, Nephalius was in Palestine, where he issued a
defence of Chalcedon, which he interpreted in terms of the Christology of Cyril of Alexan¬
dria (the process known as neo-Chalcedonianism); he was now attached to Patriarch Elias
of Jerusalem, who used him to pressurize the surviving Monophysite monasteries in Pales¬
tine into accepting Chalcedon. Severus responded to Nephalius’ doctrinal arguments in a
work, AdNephalium, which only partly survives but permits the reconstruction of the out¬
lines of Nephalius’ lost treatise and his doctrinal position (Moeller, ‘Representant’ 106-36).
Severus then travelled to Constantinople, where his highly intelligent and articulate pre¬
sentation of the Monophysite case attracted the emperor’s attention.
For the development of Severus’ theology, see Grillmeier, Christ II.2 1-175; Chesnut,
Christologies.
121 Severus himself (Letters of Severus 46 [PO 12, p. 321]) states that his synodical to
Timothy of Constantinople anathematized what was done at Chalcedon and the Jewish
Tome of Leo (cf. Letters of Severus 49 [PO 12, p. 324], to Dioscorus of Alexandria, where
the Henoticon is described as insufficient). At his consecration he had delivered a speech
condemning the Council: Kugener, ‘Allocution’.
122 Other extracts from what clearly was a very long letter from the monks of Palestine
to the bishop of Nicopolis are included at iii.31, and alluded to at ii.5.
123 Although Macedonius had been deposed as patriarch of Constantinople partly
because of his refusal to condemn Chalcedon, his successor Timothy (511-18) held similar
views. In Palestine, Elias of Jerusalem also resisted the Monophysites, with the strong
support of local monks: when his successor John appeared to be contemplating an anath¬
ema on Chalcedon, the monastic leaders Sabas and Theodosius brought the new patriarch
before a noisy demonstration in favour of the Council (Life of Sabas 56; Peeters, ‘Hypatius’
8-24; Greatrex, ‘Hypatius’ 123).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
177
were carried away by the arguments and brought under control,
of whom one is Marinus, the bishop of Beirut, 124 but others con¬
sented under force and compulsion to the synodicals of Severus,
which contained an anathema both of the Synod and of the
others who had spoken of two natures or characters in the Lord,
the flesh and the divinity; others, after consenting under compul¬
sion, repented and retracted, among whom are those dependent
on Apamea; others completely refused to consent, among whom
are Julian of Bostra, and Epiphanius of Tyre, [133| and some
other bishops, it is said. 125 But the Isaurians, who have now
come to their senses, condemn themselves for the previous decep¬
tion while they anathematize Severus and his party. 126 Others,
however, of the bishops and clergy under Severus have left their
churches and fled; among these both Julian of Bostra and Peter
of Damascus are living here, 127 as too is Mamas, one of the two
who appeared to be leaders of the Dioscorians, by whom indeed
Severus was restored; he has condemned their arrogance. 128
124 Marinus signed the declaration of faith that Severus made at his enthronement:
Kugener ‘Allocution’ 277-8.
125 Severus attempted to rally support for his strict doctrinal stance in a series of coun¬
cils, of which the most important was held at Tyre in 514, where affirmations of loyalty could
be obtained; the patriarch of Antioch also had considerable powers of patronage (e.g.
Severus, Letters i.22), and could manipulate his financial power and disciplinary authority
to obtain agreement. Some areas, such as Second Syria, the province dependent on Apamea
(see Honigmann, Eveques 54-65; Peeters, 'Hypatius’ 26-7), and individuals such as Epipha¬
nius of Tyre, the brother of the deposed Flavian, remained adamantly hostile: see Severus,
Letters i.24, 30, for disagreements and tension in Second Syria, and Letters of Severus 51
(PO 12, p. 326) on the impossibility of receiving Epiphanius back into communion, even if
he were to repent.
126 Isauria was an area where Severus had some support (cf. the earlier quotation from
the letter to Alcison at iii.31, with n. 106 above; Rufus, Plerophories 21-3, provides evidence
for Monophysites in the region); Severus also made a particular attempt to tighten up on
disciplinary matters and increase patriarchal control there, developments which might
have persuaded the local clergy to reject his doctrinal preferences.
127 In 517 a large group of anti-Severan monks gathered at the monastery of Maro,
south of Damascus, and appealed to Pope Hormisdas against their patriarch; this would
indicate that the local bishops, even though in exile, had strong support.
128 Mamas was the archimandrite of the anti-Chalcedonian monks at Eleutheropolis,
where Severus had begun his monastic career, and he accompanied Severus to Constantino¬
ple in 508 to protest against the actions of Nephalius. But he had then come under the influ¬
ence of Sabas, who brought him to Jerusalem and reconciled him with Patriarch Elias; as a
178
EVAGRIUS
And further on: ‘The monasteries here and Jerusalem itself are,
through God, in accord concerning the correct faith, as are very many
other cities with their bishops. For all these and ourselves, pray that we
may not enter into temptation, our most holy master and most honoured
father.’
34 Now since these missives say that the priests under Apamea
distanced themselves from Severus, 129 come, let us add something
which has been transmitted to us through our family, although
before now indeed it had not been treated by history. Cosmas,
Bishop of my own Epiphania, which has Orontes as its companion,
and Severianus, Bishop of nearby Arethusa, 130 were distressed at the
synodical letters of Severus, severed themselves from communion
with him, and sent a document of deposition to him while he was
still bishop of the city of Antiochus. They entrusted the document to
Aurelian, first deacon of Epiphania. Since he feared Severus and the
grandeur of such a great bishopric, on reaching the city of Antiochus
he approached Severus after dressing himself in female clothing,
acting coyly and primly, and in all respects pretending to be a
woman. He let the veil on his head hang as far as his chest and,
wailing and groaning deep down inside, under the pretence of
making a supplication he handed over the deposition to Severus as
he proceeded. And unnoticed by all he left the crowd of followers,
and purchased safety by flight, | 134 | before Severus realized what
were the contents of the document. 131 Still Severus, upon receiving
result Mamas accepted Chalcedon, and persuaded many others to follow his example (Life
of Sabas 55).
129 Although Second Syria was resolutely anti-Monophysite (cf. n. 117 above), the
metropolitan see of Apamea was currently occupied by Peter, who shared Severus’ views
(Letters i.5). He had probably been chosen in the election referred to by Severus, Letters
i.39, where the candidates must be orthodox, i.e. hold firmly to communion with Severus
himself.
130 Epiphania, the modern city of Hama; Arethusa, modem Restan, a short distance
upstream. On Cosmas, see Peeters, ‘Hypatius’ 36-9. These events should belong to the last
two or three years of Anastasius’ reign.
131 Documents of deposition, like tribunician vetos in Republican Rome, had to be
presented in person, and so might well endanger their bearer; cf. nn. 59, 67 above for the
difficulties which Pope Felix’s envoys had in delivering messages to Acacius.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
179
the document and understanding what was in it, clung firmly to his
throne until the death of Anastasius.
So when Anastasius discovered what had happened in the case of
Severus (for one must record that the affair was handled with mercy by
Anastasius), he instructed Asiaticus, who had been entrusted with the
military command of Phoenicia Libanensis, to drive Cosmas and
Severianus from their own sees, because they had sent the document of
deposition to Severus. 132 After Asiaticus reached the Eastern regions
and found that many adhered to the doctrines of Cosmas and Sever¬
ianus, and that their cities upheld them most resolutely, he reported to
Anastasius that he could not banish these men from their sees without
bloodshed. Accordingly, there was such an abundance of mercy in
Anastasius that he explicitly wrote to Asiaticus that he wished nothing
to go ahead, not even if it was a major and important matter, if even a
drop of blood were to be spilt. 133 Such then was the state of affairs in the
churches everywhere in the world down to the reign of Anastasius.
There were some who removed him from the holy diptychs on the
grounds that he was an opponent of the Synod at Chalcedon; at Jeru¬
salem he was anathematized even during his lifetime. 134
35 It would not be out of place if, in accordance with the promise which I
set down at the outset, I also attach to the narrative the other noteworthy
events which occurred during the time of Anastasius. 135 After Zeno’s
132 It is not clear why Asiaticus (PLRE II. 164; nothing else known) was chosen for this
action outside his own province, but it may simply have been that he controlled the neces¬
sary troops.
133 This incident, of which Evagrius was informed by family tradition, is undoubtedly
the basis for Evagrius’ very favourable assessment of Anastasius as a tolerant controller of
ecclesiastical affairs (to say that it substantiates Evagrius’ view, as Allen, Evagrius 154, is
circular). An alternative explanation for Anastasius’ decision would be his realization of
the strength of support for Chalcedon.
It is possible that Severus and his partisans had already begun to take revenge: Peeters,
‘Hypatius’ 27-34 suggests that they must have been involved in planning the massacre at
Larissa of 350 orthodox monks who were travelling to a meeting to oppose the Monophy-
sites. Anastasius reacted to this by demanding an end to bloodshed.
134 There is no confirmation for this anathema in the Lives of Sabas or Theodosius; the
monks came close, though, when they anathematized ‘Severus and those who communi¬
cated with him’ (Life of Sabas 56, p. 149:4), since it was obvious that Anastasius was a sup¬
porter of, and in communication with, Severus.
135 A reference back to the preface, pp. 5:14-6:3. As in Books i and ii, and in his treat¬
ment of Zeno’s reign, Evagrius separated ecclesiastical and secular narratives into discrete
180
EVAGRIUS
brother Longinus had reached his native land, as I have previously
described, he openly embarked on war against the emperor. After many
forces had been gathered from all sides, among whom there was Conon
- although he was bishop at Apamea in the province of Syria, as an
Isaurian he joined in the campaign with the Isaurians - a conclusion
| 135 ] was made to the war: the Isaurians fighting with Longinus were
comprehensively destroyed, while the heads of Longinus and Theodore
were sent to the emperor’s city by John the Scythian. The emperor fixed
these on poles and set them up at the place called Sycae, which lies oppo¬
site the city of Constantine, a pleasing sight for the Byzantines in return
for the troubles they had suffered from Zeno and the Isaurians. And the
other Longinus, who was a powerful force in the usurpation, the one
surnamed the Selinuntian, and Indes with him, were sent alive to Anasta-
sius by John, surnamed the Hunchback. This particularly pleased both
the emperor and the Byzantines, since in the manner of a triumph Long¬
inus and Indes were paraded along the city’s highways and into the
Hippodrome, with chains made of iron placed around their necks and
hands. 136 Thereafter too what had formerly been called the Isaurica was
contributed to the imperial treasuries: this indeed was the gold which
blocks, which obviated the problems of combining different sources into a single account
but left the overall narrative very disjointed (see Allen, Evcigrius 143 for criticisms of Eva¬
grius’ practice).
136 This picks up the (erroneous) reference to Longinus in iii.29 (cf. n. 93 above). Long¬
inus of Cardala (PLRE II. 688, s. v. Longinus 3), the former magisterofficiorum, was a leader
of the Isaurian revolt against Anastasius in 492, but the large army, 15,000 strong, that he
gathered with the help of money stored in Isauria by the emperor Zeno, was defeated at
Cotyaeum (Kutahya) in Phrygia in the same year; Conon, the former bishop of Apamea,
was killed in a second battle in the following year (PLRE II. 306-7, s. v. Conon 4); Longinus
and Theodore (PLRE II. 1092, s. v. Theodorus 34; probably to be equated with Athenodorus
2) were only captured in 497 after which they were executed. The revolt was ended by the
capture of Longinus of Selinus (PLRE II. 688, s.v. Longinus 4) and Indes (PLRE II. 591) in
498; this Longinus was, after torture, executed at Nicaea. Though Malalas, 393:12-394:7,
had a clear and reasonably full account of events, Evagrius has preferred to follow a differ¬
ent source.
Sycae was a regular place for executions and the dumping, or display, of the bodies of
criminals (e.g. Chron. Pcisch. 565:2-3; and cf. iv n. 116 below).
The imperial commanders, John the Scythian (PLRE II. 602-3, 5 . v. Ioannes 34) and John
Kurtos/Gibbus (the Hunchback: PLRE II. 617-18, s. v. Ioannes 93) were rewarded with the
consulship for 498 and 499 respectively.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
181
had been furnished each year to the barbarians, a weight of 5,000
pounds. 137
36 The Scenite Arabs also, though not to their own profit, made a
raid against the Roman realm and ravaged the property of Mesopo¬
tamia and both Phoenicias and the Palestines. After suffering harshly
at the hands of those in command in each place, they subsequently
kept the peace, after collectively making agreements with the
Romans. 138
37 But when the Persians under king Cabades broke the treaty and
set out from their own territories, they first invaded Armenia and,
after capturing a town called Theodosiopolis, they approached
Amida, a strong city in Mesopotamia, and captured it by siege.
This in turn the Roman emperor | 136 | restored with considerable
exertions. 139 If there is anyone who wishes to have detailed knowledge
137 This is our only evidence for the size of the annual peace payment to the Isaurians,
which was substantially larger than those paid to tribal groups in the Balkans, even at the
height of the power of the Huns or Avars; the saving to the imperial treasury was significant,
and will have contributed to the large reserve that Anastasius was able to accummulate
during his reign (320,000 pounds of gold according to Procopius, Secret History 19.7).
138 Theophanes (141:1-17) has a longer account of the defeat of three separate Arab
attacks, probably in 498 (for discussion, see Shahid, Fifth Century 121-31): an invasion of
the provinces of Euphratesia and First Syria was defeated at Resafa, an uprising by the
Ghassanids in Third Palestine was crushed by the local dux Romanus, who also recaptured
the island of Iotabe at the mouth of the Gulf of Eilat, and an attack by the Kindites of South
Arabia was repulsed. These Arab incursions did not affect Phoenicia, though Theophanes’
notice of the subsequent peace states that Palestine, Arabia and Phoenicia now enjoyed
tranquillity (144:3-6); Evagrius may be conflating them with an earlier raid, mentioned by
Cyril of Scythopolis ( Life of Abramius 1, p. 244:1-4), which reached Emesa in 491/2.
Shahid, Sixth Century 3-12, combining this passage (which he optimistically treats as
equivalent to the lost testimony of the contemporary Eustathius) with Theophanes, 144:3-
6, claims that Anastasius now made a formal foedus with the Ghassanid and Kindite Arabs
which specified their respective obligations; this imposes a very precise interpretation on
what are general allusions to agreements. See also Blockley, Policy 87; Elizabeth Fowden,
Plain 61^1.
139 Kavadh had demanded money from the Romans in 491/2, and again after he had
been restored to the throne by the Hephthalites in 498, but was unsuccessful on each occa¬
sion. The invasion began in August 502, and Theodosiopolis (Erzerum) quickly fell, but
Amida withstood a fierce siege: the best account is ps.-Zachariah vii.3-4; cf. also Joshua
the Stylite chs. 50-100, and Procopius, Wars i.7-9 (whose account may reflect that of Eu¬
stathius). A lapse of attention by some defenders allowed the Persians to capture the city on
11 January 503. Thereafter the Romans organized their forces and began to redress the
182
EVAGRIUS
concerning these matters and to follow through everything precisely,
this has been recorded and narrated most learnedly by Eustathius with
great exertion and the utmost elegance: after making a record down to
this report he was numbered among the departed, having died in the
twelfth year of Anastasius’ reign. 140
Now, after this war Anastasius established Dara, a place in Meso¬
potamia situated at the extremity of the Roman realm which is a
boundary-marker, as it were, for the two states; he turned this from a
field into a city, fortifying it with a strong circuit wall and bestowing
on it various remarkable constructions - not only churches and other
sacred buildings, but colonnades and public baths and other things
with which distinguished cities are adorned. 141 It is said by some that
the place Dara obtained its appellation from the fact that Alexander
the Macedonian, the son of Philip, comprehensively defeated Darius
here. 142
38 And one very great and memorable work was completed by the same
emperor, the so-called Long Wall, which is well positioned in Thrace.
This is about 280 stades distant from Constantinople, and links the two
balance, although Amida had to be repurchased in 505 after a long siege failed to dislodge
the Persian garrison. Ps.-Zachariah vii.5 and Joshua 83 refer to the reconstruction of the
defences and benefactions to the local church: see further Stein, Bas-Empire II. 99, and for
a succinct survey of the war, Blockley, Policy 89-93.
140 Malalas too records the death of the most learned chronicler Eustathius after re¬
cording the campaign of 503 but before he could complete his account of the war (399:3-
4); it is most economical to postulate that Evagrius was influenced by the shape of Malalas’
narrative at this point (Persian war, death of Eustathius, foundation of Dara), even though
not all the information in Evagrius is preserved in the abridged extant version of Malalas.
141 Dara was established as a military base close to the frontier to avoid the logistical
problems which had hampered Roman operations in the current war; it was sited roughly
half-way between the nearest Roman fort at Mardin and the Persian frontier city of Nisibis;
the actual frontier was about five kilometres to the south-east. Construction at Dara began
in 505, but work probably slowed after the end of hostilities with Persia in 507. There are
important accounts of the fortress in ps.-Zachariah vii.6; Procopius, Buildings ii. 1—3;
Joshua the Stylite ch. 90. There are modem discussions of the ancient sources and the sur¬
viving ruins by Croke and Crow. ‘Dara’; Whitby, ‘Dara’.
142 The etymology, which is also recorded by Malalas (399:13-20), is fabulous, since in
331 BC Alexander defeated Darius III at Gaugamela, near Arbela (Erbil) in modern Iraq;
Chron. Pasch. 609:4-7 has a rather more complex etymology, attributing the place name to
the fact that Alexander struck the Persian king with a spear (dorati).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
183
seas over a distance of 420 stades in the manner of a channel. It made the
city almost an island instead of a peninsula, and for those who wish
provides a very safe transit from the so-called Pontus to the Propontis
and the Thracian sea, while checking the barbarians who rush forth
from the so-called Euxine Sea, and from the Colchians and the Maiotic
lake, and from the regions beyond the Caucasus, and those who have
poured forth over Europe. 143
39 An exceedingly great and wonderful achievement was accomplished
by the same man, the complete abolition of the so-called Chrysar-
gyron; 144 [137] this must also be told, although it requires the eloquence
of Thucydides or indeed one greater and more elegant. But even I shall
tell of it, not trusting in word, but confident in the deed. There was
imposed on this great and ancient state of the Romans a miserable tax
hateful to God and unworthy of even barbarians, let alone indeed of the
most Christian Roman empire. Although overlooked before him (for
what reason I cannot say), this man abolished it in a manner most
worthy of an emperor. It was imposed both on many others who
143 The Long Walls of Constantinople are situated about 65 kilometres to the west of the
city (about 325 stades), and originally extended for 45 kilometres (225 stades) from the Sea
of Marmara to the Black Sea. The Walls had most probably been constructed towards the
end of Theodosius II’s reign, in response to the Hunnic incursions, but had subsequently
been severely damaged in an earthquake and now required extensive repairs if they were to
prevent the Bulgars from approaching Constantinople (Whitby, ‘Walls’). It was not uncom¬
mon for emperors to claim, or be accorded, full credit for constructions which they merely
repaired: thus Septimius Severus, who was responsible for some rebuilding on Hadrian’s
Wall, was given credit for one of the North British walls in various sources, e.g. Eutropius
viii.19.1; ScriptoresHistoriae Augustae, Severus 18.2.
The effectiveness of the Constantinopolitan Walls depended upon the strength and cap¬
abilities of their defenders, who were not always sufficiently numerous to prevent invaders
from overrunning the barrier; they were relevant to sea traffic between the Sea of Marmara
and the Black Sea, since boats tended to hug Ihe shore as they sailed up against the stiff
current and might even need to be towed at some points. The substantial remains are cur¬
rently the subject of investigation: see Crow, ‘Long Walls’ (though he consistently presumes
that the walls are Anastasian). Allen, Evagrius 143, identified this as an eye-witness account,
but there is insufficient detail to prove the assertion.
144 In 498. Cod. lust. xi.l. This move coincided with celebration of victory over the
Isaurians (Malalas 394:5-7 notes the gifts to taxpayers), which saved the empire 5,000
pounds of gold per year in peace payments (cf. iii.35 with n. 136); a plausible guess for the
annual yield of the tax is 1,400 pounds of gold (Bagnall, Egypt 154), so the remission was
more than covered by the Isaurian saving. There had been serious riots in Antioch in 494/ 5
(Malalas 392:12-393:8), which might also be relevant to Anastasius’ decision.
184
EVAGRIUS
procured their living through providing services, 145 including prostitutes
who promiscuously purvey their bodily charms in attachment to brothels
in the hidden and unseen parts of the city, and what is more, indeed, on
catamites who outrage not only nature but also the state: thus the
income, instead of some law, cries out that such wickedness exists with
impunity for those who wish. Every fourth year those who collected this
in each place paid the unholy and accursed revenue gathered from this
to the first and highest of the officials, so that it constituted not the least
part of the office and had its own scrinia, as they are called, and those
who assessed such matters, not obscure men but ones who considered
the matter an official duty just indeed like the others. 146
When Anastasius learnt this, he placed it before the senate and,
rightly declaring the matter to be a defilement and a new-fangled
pollution, decreed that it should be abolished once and for all, and
consigned to the flames the papers which explained the collection. And
in his desire to consecrate the matter to God completely, lest it might be
145 The translation is in line with that in BEL 377. Festugiere (349) translated rather
differently: ‘This had been allowed to pass unnoticed - since when I cannot say ... It
weighed on a great number of those who live grouped into associations with communal ex¬
penses.' Festugiere interpreted this as an allusion to the guilds into which traders and arti¬
sans were collected, but his version departs considerably from the Greek. Festugiere does
not fully translate triv xpo4>f|v rcopi^ouai ‘procured their living’, and, although Epavog is a
technical term for a group whose members might provide mutual financial support, it would
be odd to describe people as obtaining their living si; Epdvou, from such a group: spavoi; is
also used to denote transactions which produced financial gain, and I have preferred this
more general sense.
146 The Chrysargyron, or collatio lustralis, was introduced by Constantine as a levy of
gold and silver (hence its Greek name) on the property of merchants, artisans and the pro¬
fessions; it was originally levied every five years, being connected with the financing of im¬
perial donatives, but at some point in the fifth century this increased to every four years
(Evagrius is supported by Zosimus, ii.38.2, Joshua the Stylite ch. 31, and Cod. lust, xi.1.1);
in practice it may have been collected by indiction year, in monthly instalments (Bagnall,
Egypt 154). The tax was collected city by city, with those eligible to pay being recorded on
a register and choosing from their own number the individuals responsible for the actual
collection; the monies were paid into the sacrae largitiones, where there may well have
been a separate unit ( scrinium ) devoted to its administration. See Jones, LRE 433-4, 871—
2; also Hendy, Studies 175-8.
Joshua records that at Edessa, which used to pay 140 pounds of gold every four years, the
news of the tax remission was greeted with a week of popular festivities. Anastasius made
good the loss of income to the sacrae largitiones by allocating to a special fund specific
estates which generated the same revenue (though compensation did not halt the long¬
term decline in the powers and prestige of this bureau, on which see Delmaire, ‘Declin’).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
185
possible for any of his successors to revive again the old disgraces, he
pretended to be annoyed and accused himself of thoughtlessness and
the utmost folly: he said that by giving preference to innovation he had
disregarded what was beneficial to the state, and had heedlessly and
inconsiderately suspended such a great revenue, one which had been
devised long before and been ratified by such long passage of time, | 138 |
without taking into account the imminent dangers or the military
expenses, the living wall of the state, nor the expenses relating to the
worship of God. And without displaying any of his inner thoughts he
announced that he wished the aforesaid tax to be restored. 147 Then,
after summoning those who had been in charge, he claimed that he
repented but he did not have any idea what to do or how he might
correct his own mistake, since the papers which were able to explain the
collection had been burnt once and for all. And when they bewailed the
action, without any pretence but genuinely on account of the illegal
profit which accrued to them from it, 148 and professed to be at a similar
loss, he encouraged and urged them to make every investigation and
search out if they could discover the collection in its entirety from the
records that were gathered in each particular place. And after providing
expenses for each man for assembling these he sent them out with
instructions that every paper which could illuminate this, wherever it
might be found, should be conveyed to him so that the material relating
to this might again be compiled with the most careful consideration and
the utmost precision. 149
And so when after a time those who were attending to this came back,
Anastasius appeared to be a happy person and gladdened with delight;
but he was genuinely pleased because he had achieved his objective, and
he enquired about the process, how they had been found, and with
147 Although piety may have played some part in Anastasius' motives, or at least in his
presentation of these, this reform must be seen in the wider context of Anastasius’ overhaul
of taxation and currency reforms, of which the first stage, involving the copper coinage, was
introduced in 498. Anastasius appears to have been keen to remove obstacles, such as the
tax on commerce and a shortage of lower value coins, which were hindering the develop¬
ment of flourishing market conditions.
148 Undoubtedly officials from the sacrae largitiones would have regretted the loss of an
important source of revenue.
149 Anastasius had first burnt the central records in (lie office of the sacrae largitiones,
and then proceeded to assemble the various records of payers and amounts maintained in
each city (see n. 146 above). For his thoroughness in destroying the records, cf. also Proco¬
pius of Gaza, Panegyric 13, and Priscian, Laucle Anastasii 164-6.
186
EVAGRIUS
whom, and if there was anything of similar sort left. When they asserted
that they had expended great efforts in collecting these things, and swore
by the emperor that there was no paper capable of explaining these
matters deposited throughout the whole state, he again kindled a great
bonfire from the papers which had been brought, and deluged the ashes
with water, wishing to obliterate the exaction utterly, so that there might
be seen neither dust nor ashes nor indeed any |139| trace of the business
from what had been partially burnt. But, while so greatly elevating the
abolition of the exaction, so that we might not appear to be in any way
ignorant of all that has been narrated in partisan spirit about it by earlier
writers, come now, let me set these out also and show their falsehood,
and particularly through what they themselves have recorded.
40 It is said by Zosimus, one of those from the accursed and foul worship
of the Hellenes, in his anger against Constantine because he was first of
the emperors to adopt Christian practices and abandon the loathsome
superstition of the Hellenes, that he first devised the so-called Chrysar-
gyron, and instituted that the said tribute be levied every fourth year; 150
and in countless other ways he blasphemed the pious and generous
Constantine. For he says that Constantine also devised many other
quite intolerable measures against every class, 151 and that he miserably
eliminated his son Crispus, and that he removed from among men his
wife Fausta by confining her in a bath house which had been heated to
excess, 152 and that after seeking purification from his own priests for
150 Zosimus (ii.38.2) was correct in attributing the tax to Constantine (cf. n. 146 above),
who introduced it in the provinces under his control in the period 312-20. Zosimus, prob¬
ably following or elaborating on Eunapius, claimed that the tax was designed to produce
revenue for gifts to worthless individuals, and that it forced mothers to sell their sons into
slavery and fathers to prostitute their daughters, but the new measure was probably part of
a coherent attempt to transfer some of the burden of taxation from the countryside to the
towns. Discussion by Paschoud, notes to Zosimus ii.38 (Zosime vol. I. pp. 241-4).
151 This probably refers to the collatio glebcilis, or foil is, a tax on senatorial property,
which the emperor Marcian abolished; another measure that had a marginal effect on sena¬
torial wealth was the requirement that all praetors should finance games during their year of
office, or contribute a sum of money in lieu (Zosimus ii.38.3—4).
152 Again, Zosimus’ accusations (ii.29.2) are accurate, though the deaths had no connec¬
tion with Constantine’s conversion: in 326 Crispus was sentenced by Constantine to death
on accusations promoted by his stepmother, the empress Fausta; Fausta’s role was soon
revealed, probably by Constantine’s mother Helena, and she was killed, or forced into
suicide, later in the same year (Philostorgius ii.4). Sozomen, i.5, had already presented a
refutation of these accusations. Discussion in Paschoud, ‘Version’; Zosime I. pp. 219-24.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
187
such abominable murders but not obtaining it - for it was not even
possible to speak them in public - he encountered an Egyptian who had
arrived from Iberia. And on being assured by him that the Christian
faith was able to wipe out all sin, he partook of what the Egyptian
shared with him; 153 abandoning thereafter his ancestral belief, he made
the start of his impiety, as Zosimus says. And I will reveal forthwith
how these things are indeed untrue, but first something will be said
about the Chrysargyron.
41 You say, you wicked and deceitful demon, that when he wished to
raise in opposition a city that was equal to Rome he first embarked on
preparations for so great a city in between Troas and Ilium, establishing
foundations and raising a wall to some height, but when he found that
Byzantium was a more suitable site he so encircled it with walls, so
expanded the previous city, and glorified it with such beautiful construc¬
tions that it was not far short of Rome, which had gradually received its
growth over so many years. |140| You state that he also allocated to the
Byzantine people a public grain ration, and that to those who came to
Byzantium with him he granted an enormous quantity of gold for the
construction of private houses. 154
Again, you write in these words that, following Constantine’s death,
government passed to Constantius, his only son after the death of his
two brothers, and how in the twin usurpation of Magnentius and
Vetranio, he won Vetranio round by persuasion: once both the armies
had assembled, Constantius first addressed the soldiers and reminded
them of the generosity of his father, with whom they had toiled in many
campaigns and by whom they had been rewarded with very large gifts;
and when the soldiers heard this they stripped Vetranio of his robes and
took him down from the platform as a private individual, and he experi-
153 Zosimus ii.29.3—4; cf. also Julian, Caesars 38,336a-b (II. 413, Wright). The Egyptian
from Iberia alludes to Ossius (Hosius). Bishop of Cordoba, who was the most influential
ecclesiastical adviser to Constantine for much of his reign: see Paschoud, Zosime I. 221-2.
Although Ossius did visit Alexandria in 324 as part of the negotiations which led up to the
Council of Nicaea, he is not otherwise known to have had Egyptian connections and the
label is intended to imply that he was a charlatan. Festugiere (352) wrongly interprets
‘Egyptian’ as a proper name, Aegyptius.
154 Zosimus ii.30-2. The assertion that Constantine financed major constructions near
the ancient site of Troy is also noted by Sozomen (ii.3.1-3) and Zonaras (xiii.3.1), but ques¬
tioned by Paschoud (notes to Zosimus ii.30: Zosime I. pp. 225-6). For the bread ration and
other incentives for people to settle in the new capital, see Dagron, Naissance 530-41.
188
EVAGRIUS
enced nothing unpleasant from Constantius, though the latter, along
with his father, has been slandered by you so greatly. 155
How then you can reckon that the same man was so generous, so
munificent, and yet so pusillanimous and parsimonious as to impose
such an accursed tax, I am utterly at a loss. 156 But as for the fact that he
did not slay Fausta or Crispus, and that he did not for that reason partici¬
pate in our mysteries through some Egyptian, hearken to the history of
Eusebius son of Pamphilus, who was a contemporary of Constantine
and Crispus and was an associate of theirs. For you are not even writing
what you heard - quite apart from it not being the truth - but you were
very much later in time under Arcadius and Honorius, up to whom your
narrative goes, or even after them. In the eighth book of that man’s Eccle¬
siastical History he writes the following, word for word: 157
When no very great time had intervened, the emperor Constan¬
tius, who had conducted his whole life in a manner most mild
and most benevolent to his subjects, [141| and most well-disposed
to the divine Word, leaving behind in his place his true-born son
Constantine as emperor and Augustus, ended his life by the
common law of nature.
And further on:
This man’s son Constantine, right from the very moment when he
had been proclaimed by the troops supreme emperor and Augus-
155 Zosimus ii.43^4. Following Constantine’s death in 337, his three sons by Fausta had
divided the empire between them: Constantine II was killed in 340, and in 350 Constans was
overthrown and killed by the usurper Magnentius; Evagrius does not attempt to rebut
Zosimus’ criticism (ii.39^12) of these dynastic disturbances. In 350 Constantius was dis¬
tracted by war against the Persians, and his sister Constantina proclaimed (he elderly
general Vetranio at Sirmium, possibly to rally loyalty to the house of Constantine but
more probably to further her own imperial ambitions. Constantius’ harangue to the com¬
bined armies of Vetranio and himself achieved fame as a rhetorical tour de force (Julian,
Orations 2.77, 76b-77b [I. 202-6, Wright], as well as Zosimus); Socrates ii.28.18—20 also
stressed the generosity of Constantius’ treatment of Vetranio.
156 Evagrius has evaded, or missed, the point of Zosimus’ attack on Constantine, which
was that the emperor’s thoughtless extravagance forced him to introduce unwise new taxes.
157 Cf. i n. 1 for ‘son of Pamphilus’. The following passages on the true belief of Con¬
stantius Chlorus and Constantine the Great are taken from Eusebius, EH viii.13.13, 14;
minor variants are noted by Bidez-Parmentier in their apparatus. The History of Zosimus
terminated with the sack of Rome in 410, i.e. during Honorius’ reign but after the death of
Arcadius; the Suda records that he wrote during Anastasius’ reign, though the precise date
is disputed (Alan Cameron, ‘Date’).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
189
tus (and long before this even, when proclaimed by the universal
emperor, God himself), he made himself an emulator of his
father’s piety with respect to our teaching.
And at the end of his history he speaks in these terms: 158 ‘But he who
was outstanding in every quality of divine reverence, most mighty,
victorious Constantine, together with his son Crispus, an emperor
beloved of God and like his father in all respects, took possession of
what was his due in the East.’ But Eusebius, who outlived Constantine,
would not have praised Crispus in this way if he had been slain by his
father. 159 And Theodoret in his history says that Constantine at the very
end of his life partook of the saving baptism at Nicomedia, but had
delayed until this time from a desire to receive it in the river Jordan. 160
And you say, you most polluted and utterly wicked man, that from
the time that Christianity was revealed the affairs of the Romans have
waned and been altogether lost, 161 either because you have read nothing
of earlier writers or because you deliberately distort the truth. On the
contrary, it is plainly revealed that Roman affairs have prospered
together with our faith. 162 Consider, then, how during the very residence
among men of Christ our God the majority of the Macedonians were
158 Eusebius, EHx.9.6.
159 Evagrius’ defence of Constantine again evades, or misses, (he central issue. The
Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius had originally been composed in the late third century,
but was then brought up to date on various occasions, the last being shortly after the victory
of Constantine and Crispus over Licinius in 324, so that the lack of reaction to the family
crises of 326 is not surprising (though, in the Syriac translation, the name of Crispus is
absent from the passage quoted by Evagrius: see Barnes, Constantine 149-50); indeed,
after the disgrace of Fausta rehabilitated the reputation of Crispus (cf. n. 152 above), there
was less reason to remove his name. Sozomen, i.5, produced a more convincing riposte to
the type of attack on Constantine’s conversion reflected in Zosimus: he demonstrated that
Constantine’s conversion antedated Crispus’ death since there was pro-Christian legislation
which bore the names of both emperors; further, he attacked the notion that a pagan could
not give absolution for family murders by pointing to the purification of Heracles, who had
killed his children and a guest-friend. Sozomen, however, did not tackle the question of
Crispus’ death, which may explain why Evagrius chose to return to the issue.
160 EHi.32.
161 This is the basic thesis of Zosimus’ narrative (e.g. i.58.4), and Evagrius is probably
not referring to any specific passage. For discussion of Evagrius’ attack on Zosimus, see
Kaegi, Byzantium 217-23.
162 Eusebius linked the triumph of Christianity with the success of the empire: e.g.
Praise of Constantine 16.6, where the Saviour destroys polyarchy and thereby permits the
Roman empire to bring the human race into unity.
190
EVAGRIUS
overcome by the Romans, and Albania and Iberia and the Colchians and
Arabs were subordinated to the Romans. And in the 123rd Olympiad
Gaius Caesar subjected with great struggles Gauls, Germans and
Britons and annexed to the Roman rule the inhabitants of 500 cities,
|142] as is recorded by the historians. He too was the first to be a
monarch after the consuls, thereby first preparing a way and introducing
in advance respect for sole rule in place of multiplicity of reverence and
mob rule, because the sole rule of Christ was all but present. At once
both the whole of Judaea and the adjacent territories were added, with
the result that there then occurred the first census, in which Christ was
also included, so that Bethlehem might publicize the fulfilment of the
prophecy concerning it. For there was said about it by the prophet
Micah something like this: ‘And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, you are
by no means the least among the leaders of Judah. For from you will
come forth for me a leader who will guide my people Israel.’ 163
And after the birth of Christ our God, Egypt was attached to the
Romans, after Caesar Augustus, under whom Christ was born, had
completely outfought Antony and Cleopatra, who indeed made away
with themselves. After them Cornelius Gallus was appointed by
Augustus Caesar as controller of Egypt, the first man to rule Egypt after
the Ptolemies, as has been established by the writers of history. How
many times the Persians were cut down by Ventidius and Corbulo,
Nero’s general, and Severus, Trajan and Carus, Cassius and Odaenathus
of Palmyra, and Apollonius and others, how often Seleucia and Ctesi-
phon were captured, and Nisibis, which shifted to either side, Armenia,
and the neighbouring nations were attached to the Romans, you narrate
as do others. 164
I almost forgot what you record that Constantine achieved, who
163 Micah 5.2, quoted at Matthew 2.6.
164 The temporal benefits produced by correct worship are a recurrent theme through¬
out classical history; for an example from ecclesiastical historiography, cf. Socrates vii.20,
23; Sozomen ix.16.3-4 on Theodosius II; see Krivushin ‘Socrates’ 97-9; Kaegi, Byzantium
194-201.
There are several errors in Evagrius’ survey: the Romans had turned Macedonia into a
province in the second century BC, though there were extensive campaigns in the north
Balkans under both Augustus and Tiberius; the sub-Caucasian regions of Albania, Iberia
and Colchis were never firmly subordinated to Rome, at least not before the reign of Justi¬
nian; the Olympic date for Julius Caesar’s Gallic wars is wrong, and should probably be 180,
181 or 182; Antony and Cleopatra had been overcome at Actium in 31 BC, and the Ptole¬
maic dynasty came to an end in the following year.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
191
most resolutely and bravely guided the Roman realm in our faith, and
what Julian - your man and devotee of your rites - suffered, who
bequeathed such great wounds to the state. But whether he has obtained
a prelude of what has been predicted concerning the |143| end of the
world, or will indeed receive the fulfilment, is a matter for a higher
dispensation than yours.
But, if it seems appropriate, let us review how the emperors who
professed Hellenic beliefs and those who espoused Christianity ended
their reigns. Did not Gaius Julius Caesar, the first monarch, conclude
his life through assassination? Second, did not some of those in his
armies dispatch Gaius the descendant of Tiberius with their swords?
Was not Nero slain by one of his household? Did not Galba, Otho and
Vitellius experience much the same, the three who were emperors for
only sixteen months? Did not Domitian with poison slay Titus while he
was emperor, though he was indeed his own brother? Was not Domitian
miserably dispatched from this world by Stephen? What then do you
say about Commodus - did not he depart life through Narcissus? Did
not the same happen to Pertinax and Julianus? Did not Antoninus the
son of Severus destroy his brother Geta, and himself experience much
the same from Martial? What too about Macrinus, was he not butch¬
ered by his own troops after being paraded round Byzantium like a
captive? And Aurelius Antoninus, the one from Emesa, was he not
slaughtered along with his mother? Was not his successor Alexander
struck by the same tragedy, together with his mother? What should we
say, too, about Maximinus who was slain by his own army, or Gordian
who by the plots of Philip encountered his last day through his own
soldiers? And you, say how Philip and his successor Decius - were they
not destroyed by their enemies? And indeed, were not Gallus and Volu-
sianus thrust from their life by their own forces? And what of Aemi-
lianus, did he not also encounter the same? And was not Valerian
made captive and paraded about by the Persians? And after the
murder of Gallienus and the slaughter of Carinus, |144| affairs passed
to Diocletian and those whom he chose himself to share his rule. Of
these Herculius Maximianus and Maxentius his son, and Licinius
perished utterly.
But from the time when the all-celebrated Constantine took over the
realm, and on founding the city named after him dedicated it to Christ,
observe, pray, if any of the emperors there (apart from Julian, your hier¬
ophant and emperor) was destroyed by their own men or the enemy, or
192
EVAGRIUS
in short whether a tyrant overpowered an emperor, with the single excep¬
tion of Basiliscus’ expulsion of Zeno, by whom he was deposed and his
life was removed. I am persuaded, indeed, if you talk about Valens, who
had committed so many wrongs against Christians. For concerning
anyone else, not even you can speak. 165 Let no one think that these
things are irrelevant to the ecclesiastical history, but quite certainly
necessary and essential, since the historians of the Hellenes deliberately
distort precision. But let us move to the remainder of Anastasius’
actions. 166
42 And so the aforesaid matters were corrected by Anastasius in a
manner worthy of an emperor; but he acted unworthily of these in
devising the so-called gold impost, and by disposing the military
expenses onto the tax-payers most heavily. 167 He also removed the
165 Just as Christianity brought temporal benefits to the empire in which it was centred,
so the manner of the individual ruler’s death would reflect his attitude towards religious
matters (cf. i. n. 77 above for the same principle applied to church leaders). The contrast
drawn by Evagrius would have been less impressive if he had included the Christian rulers
of the Western Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries, since many of them had less peaceful
ends than the rulers in Constantinople.
Eusebius, Oration to the Saints 24-5, noted the fitting reward for the persecutors Decius,
Valerian, Aurelian and Diocletian.
166 The long anti-pagan digression sparked off by Anastasius’ abolition of the Chrysar-
gyron tax is now at an end. Allen, Evagrius 62-3, 161, regards this, together with the long
refutation of pagan accusations of Christian inconsistency at i.l 1, as little more than rheto¬
rical exercises which were not intended to combat contemporary pagans. This assessment
may be too negative. Kaegi, Byzantium 217-23, suggests that the empire’s contemporary
problems may have resuscitated such pagan complaints. The Antioch in which Evagrius
lived and worked was disrupted by a major pagan scandal (see v.18), and, although one
would not expect crypto-pagans to choose to read an ecclesiastical history, the educated
audience for whom Evagrius wrote might well have appreciated a reminder of some histor¬
ical proofs of the rectitude of Christianity. Evagrius also here pays attention to the reputa¬
tion of Constantine, which was perhaps a matter of contemporary interest since, after a gap
of over 200 years, the name Constantine had re-entered the imperial line as part of the full
imperial titulature of both Tiberius and Maurice (see Whitby, ‘Constantine’).
167 For Anastasius’ proper behaviour in abolishing the Chrysargyron, cf. iii.39, p. 137:8.
Most sources mention Anastasius’ reputation for insatiable greed: Malalas 408:16 (though
also noting gifts to taxpayers: 409:11-13); Oracle of Baalbek 168; John Lydus, De Mag.
iii.46 \Anth. Gr. xi.271; John of Antioch fr. 215.
Evagrius here refers to two aspects of a substantial reform of the basic land tax, which
had previously been collected in kind, except in places where, unsystematically, it had been
commuted to gold. In order to reduce waste and unnecessary expenditure, Anastasius over¬
hauled the system: he commuted most payments to gold but intended to ensure that enough
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
193
collection of taxes from local councillors and appointed the so-called
vindices over each city, at the suggestion, they say, of Marinus the
Syrian who exercised the highest of offices which men of old called the
prefect of the palace. As a result of this the revenues were greatly
reduced and the flower of the cities lapsed: for in former times the nobility
were inscribed in the cities’ albums, since each city regarded and defined
those in the councils as a sort of senate. 168 11451
43 There rebelled against Anastasius Vitalian, a Thracian by race, who
after ravaging Thrace and Moesia as far as Odessus and Anchialus
pressed on to the imperial city with an innumerable horde of Hunnic
tribes. The emperor sent Hypatius to meet him. And after Hypatius was
betrayed by his own men, taken captive, and released for a large
ransom, Cyril undertook the campaign. At first the battle was evenly
balanced, and then it experienced various alternations in pursuits and
retreats; although Cyril had held the upper hand, a pursuit had to turn
was collected in kind to meet military needs without the regular compulsory purchase
(coemptio) of extra supplies. The object was to improve the efficiency of the system and pre¬
serve taxpayers from extortionate military demands (cf. Malalas 394:8-10), but coemptio
was allowed in certain circumstances and this may be the point of Evagrius’ objection in
the second part of the sentence. See Jones, LRE 235, 460; Stein, Bas-Empire II. 210-15 for
discussion of Anastasius’ various measures to improve urban administration.
168 Marinus ( PLRE II. 726-8, x. v. Marinus 7) served for most of Anastasius’ reign as a
financial official in the praetorian prefecture, becoming one of Anastasius’ key financial ad¬
visers and, eventually in 512, praetorian prefect. His reform (also noted by Malalas 400:11-
21) was undoubtedly intended to improve the efficiency of tax collection, and reduce the
scope for corruption and unfair allocation by the city councillors, the members of the local
curiae, ‘the nobility’ whose names were recorded in local lists. These councillors had pre¬
viously controlled taxation (Jones, LRE 236), and, not unnaturally, the new supervisors
were unpopular with the men whose self-enrichment they were intended to curb; these
vindices are praised by Priscian, Laud. Anast. 193-5, for helping farmers by striking at the
injustice of the curiales. The vindices extended their powers to include the allocation as well
as the collection of revenues. Upholders of the traditional rights of the propertied classes
accused Marinus and his men of enriching themselves from the taxes they now controlled
(John Lydus, De Mag. iii.49).
At some point in the sixth century the curiae in the eastern part of the empire ceased to be
maintained, a consequence of their diminished role and importance. Most modern scholar¬
ship accepts Evagrius’ gloomy assessment of the consequences, with talk of a loss of civic
autonomy and vitality (e.g. Jones, LRE 755-66); for a more optimistic assessment of the
maintenance of a vital urban society in the eastern provinces, in spite of the decline of the
curia as an institution, see Whittow, ‘City’, esp. 11-12.
194
EVAGRIUS
back on itself when his soldiers allowed themselves to be defeated. And in
this way Vitalian took Cyril captive from Odessus and pushed his
advance as far as the place called Sycae, ravaging everything, burning
everything, having nothing else in his thoughts than to capture the city
itself and to control the empire. 169
When this man had encamped at Sycae, Marinus the Syrian, whom we
mentioned before, was sent by the emperor with a naval force to do battle
with Vitalian. And so the two forces met, the one with Sycae astern, the
other with Constantinople. And at first they remained stationary, but
then, after sallies and exchanges of missiles between the two contingents,
a fierce naval battle was joined near the place called Bytharia; after
backing water, Vitalian fled precipitately, losing the majority of his force,
while his associates fled so quickly that on the morrow not a single enemy
was found in the vicinity of Anaplus or the city. They say that Vitalian
then remained for some time at Anchialus, keeping quiet. 170
Another Hunnic race also made an incursion, after crossing the
Cappadocian Gates. 171
169 For Vitalian’s career, see PLRE II. 1171-6, s. v. Vitalianus 2. Vitalian launched three
revolts, of which Evagrius presents a rather confused account derived from the long narra¬
tive in Malalas 402:3^106:8. In 513 Vitalian was in command of federate troops in Thrace,
possibly as comes foederatorum, and revolted because of Anastasius’ failure to provide the
supplies due to his troops, although his support for Chalcedon and opposition to Anasta¬
sius’ increasingly Monophysite preferences were also major factors. Vitalian advanced as
far as the Hebdomon, but was persuaded to retire when the emperor made certain promises,
which were promptly broken. Anastasius sent out Cyril to punish Vitalian, and after a
closely fought engagement Cyril was able to enter Odessus (modern Varna on the Black
Sea) while Vitalian retreated. But Vitalian then bribed Cyril’s troops to admit him to
Odessus where he killed Cyril. Anastasius sent another army commanded by Hypatius
and Alathar, but they were defeated and taken prisoner; Hypatius was held to ransom,
which was only paid in full after Vitalian had in 514 marched on Constantinople for a
second time. Anastasius again broke promises about holding a church council, and Vitalian
again attacked the capital in 515, this time with a fleet as well as an army, and based himself
on the Bosporus between Anaplus and Sycae (see further below).
170 Evagrius has omitted the key ingredient in Marinus’ success (described at length by
Malalas), which was the gift of an inflammable ingredient, referred to as elemental
sulphur, which would ignite whatever it was thrown upon once it was touched by the
sun’s rays. John of Antioch, who also omits the Greek fire, ascribes a significant role in
the victory to the future emperor Justin (fr. 214e). After this crushing defeat, Vitalian
remained at Anchialus until Anastasius’ death in 518. For Marinus, see iii.42 and n. 168
above.
171 Like his account of Vitalian, Evagrius derived this information from Malalas
(406:9-18); in 515 the Sabir Huns crossed the Caspian Gates, and ravaged extensively as
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III
195
At the same time Rhodes was also afflicted by terrible earthquakes,
|146| its third misfortune, at dead of night. 172
44 And at Byzantium, when the emperor wished to make an addition
to the Trisaghion of the phrase, ‘Who was crucified for us’, a very
great disturbance occurred on the grounds that the Christian worship
was being utterly nullified. 173 In a letter to Soterichus, Severus says
that the initiator and champion of this was Macedonius, together with
the clergy under him (Severus had not yet obtained his priestly see,
but was residing in the imperial city, when he had been driven from
his own monastery along with others, as I have said). 174 I think it was
also for these slanders, in addition to what has been, that Macedonius
was expelled. 175
far as Cappadocia; Malalas recorded Anastasius’ benefactions to the victims and the extra
defensive measures that he took.
172 Like the rest of the material in this chapter, the same sequence of Malalas (406:19-
21) was Evagrius’ source. Malalas again notes the emperor’s generosity towards the
survivors.
173 Like the previous chapter, the information on this rioting in November 512 was
derived from Malalas (406:22-408:11). For the Christological significance of the Monophy-
site addition to the Trisaghion, see n. 15 above, and for the arguments between Macedonius
and Severus about its introduction, n. 114.
174 Soterichus, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, had professed adherence to Chalce-
don at his appointment by Macedonius, but then switched sides on reaching his see (see
Honigmann, Eveques 109-13). Fragments of Severus’ letter survive in a Coptic translation
(discussion and Latin translation in Garitte, ‘Fragments’; also Letters of Severus 118 [PO
14, pp. 290-1]); the letter, whose title contains the information about Severus’ status,
begins with a description of a riot in S. Sophia, when a group of worshippers chanting the
Monophysite Trisaghion was attacked by a mob allegedly organized by Macedonius; after a
lacuna of uncertain length, the letter concludes with a discussion involving Severus and Se-
cundinus, the emperor’s brother-in-law, and other distinguished men, in which Macedonius
is being pressed to accept the Monophysite position. For Evagrius’ earlier treatment of
Severus, see iii.33, especially with n. 120 above.
175 These comments about Macedonius are Evagrius’ own addition to the description
of the rioting derived from Malalas, and are an intelligent attempt, based on an
additional source, to set the violence in a wider context. By the time of the rioting in
512, Macedonius was safely in exile at Eucha'ita (for his deposition, see iii.32, with n.
113 above), but the opposition to the Monophysites was inspired by monks, especially
the Sleepless Monks, who could easily be labelled as supporters of the deposed
patriarch (cf. ps.-Zach. vii.7 for the connection). Severus’ letter to Soterichus is to be
dated to 510, some time before the riot to which Evagrius relates it (Lebon, Monophy-
sisme 46 n. 1).
196
EVAGRIUS
Since, consequently, the people were carried out of control, those
in authority came into mortal peril and many prominent places in
the city were burnt. And when the populace found in the house of
Marinus the Syrian a certain countryman who pursued the monastic
life, they chopped off his head, saying that the phrase had been
added at his suggestion; after affixing his head to a pole they
contemptuously shouted: ‘This indeed is the conspirator against the
Trinity.’ And the disturbance reached such a pitch, plundering every¬
thing and exceeding all constraint, that the emperor was compelled
to come to the Hippodrome in a pitiful state, without his crown; 176
he sent heralds to the people proclaiming that with regard indeed to
the imperial power, while he would abdicate this most readily, it was
a matter of impossibility that all should ascend to this, since it was
quite unable to tolerate many men, but that it would assuredly be a
single man who took the helm of it after him. 177 On seeing this spec¬
tacle, the populace turned about, as if from some divine intervention,
and begged Anastasius to put on his crown, promising to remain
quiet.
After living for only a very short time after these events, Anastasius
passed over to the other life, after directing the Roman empire for
twenty-seven years, three months and an equal number of days. 178
End of the 3rd book of the Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius.
176 On 7 November 512. The rioters had been chanting for a new emperor, and tried to
proclaim Areobindus, the husband of Anicia Juliana, whose imperial connections and
strong Chalcedonian preferences recommended Areobindus as a candidate. Marinus (cf.
iii.43 with n. 168 above) was a prominent supporter of Severus; Malalas says that the mur¬
dered monk was an easterner (407:16).
177 This rather complicated pronouncement, which reminded the rioting mob that,
however effective their mass demonstration might seem, the empire would continue to be
controlled by a monarch rather than the populace, is not preserved in Malalas who
records that the herald exhorted the people to stop the random killings (408:2^1). As soon
as he was back in control, Anastasius harshly punished the guilty.
178 Anastasius died, aged 90, on 9 July 518. As Allen (Evagrius 166) points out, Evagrius
has reduced the interval between the rioting and Anastasius’ death through his inaccurate
use of Malalas (whose own chronology is unclear). In Malalas, 408:12^109:16. the rioting is
followed by the dreams of Anastasius and his cubicularius Amantius, which predicted their
deaths, and then an account of Anastasius’ benefactions, before the notice of his death
‘shortly afterwards’. Thunder and lightning accompanied his death, which were regarded
as signs of divine displeasure at the death of a heretic (Allen, Evagrius 169); it is not surpris¬
ing that Evagrius excluded them.
[148] THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF THE
FOURTH BOOK OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL
HISTORY OF EVAGRIUS SCHOLASTICUS
1. Concerning the reign of Justin the First.
2. Concerning Amantius the eunuch and Theocritus, how Justin
slew them.
3. That Justin also murdered Vitalian by treachery.
4. How, after driving out Severus, he introduced Paul in his place,
and shortly thereafter Euphrasius held the throne of Antioch.
5. Concerning the fires and earthquakes which occurred at
Antioch, when indeed Euphrasius was crushed and killed.
6. Concerning Ephrem who was after Euphrasius.
7. Concerning Zosimas and John the miracle-workers.
8. Concerning universal sufferings.
9. That while he was still alive Justin chose Justinian to share the
rule with him.
10. That Justinian favoured those who accepted the Synod at
Chalcedon, but Theodora cherished the opponents.
11. How Severus turned aside Anthimus of Constantinople and
Theodosius of Alexandria; the emperor expelled them and installed
others.
12. From the History of Procopius of Caesarea, concerning
Cabades the Persian king and his son Chosroes.
13. Concerning Alamundaras and Azareth, and the riot at Byzan¬
tium which received the name Nika.
14. Concerning Huneric, the Vandal ruler, and the Christians
whose tongues were cut out by him.
15. Concerning Cabaon the Moor.
|149| 16. Concerning Belisarius’ expedition against the Vandals, and
their annihilation.
17. Concerning the treasures which came from Africa.
18. Concerning the Phoenicians who fled from the presence of
Joshua, son of Nun.
19. Concerning Theoderic the Goth and what occurred at Rome
198
EVAGRIUS
under him up to the times of Justinian, and how Rome again came under
the Romans when Vitigis fled from it.
20. That the so-called Heruls became Christians in the times of
Justinian.
21. That, after Rome had again come under the Goths, Belisarius
rescued it once more.
22. That the Abasgi also became Christians at that time.
23. That the inhabitants of the Don also became Christians at that
time; and concerning the earthquakes which occurred in Greece and
Asia.
24. Concerning the general Narses and his piety.
25. That Chosroes, being consumed by jealousy at Justinian’s
successes, campaigned against the Romans and destroyed very many
Roman cities, among them being Antioch the Great.
26. Concerning the miracle of the revered and life-giving wood of
the Cross which occurred at Apamea.
27. Concerning the expedition of Chosroes against Edessa.
28. Concerning the miracle which occurred at Sergiopolis.
29. Concerning the plague misfortune.
30. Concerning the avarice and greed of Justinian.
31. Concerning the Great Church of S. Sophia and the Holy
Apostles.
32. Concerning the emperor’s passion, as opposed to favour, for
the Blue colour.
33. Concerning Barsanuphius the ascetic.
34. Concerning Symeon the monk, the fool for Christ.
35. Concerning Thomas the monk, and his similar feigned folly.
36. Concerning Patriarch Menas, and the miracle which occurred
at that time for the Jewish child.
37. Those who were bishops of the major cities at that point in
time.
|150] 38. Concerning the holy Fifth Ecumenical Synod, and the reason
for which it was convened.
39. That Justinian was turned aside from the true faith and
proclaimed that the Lord’s body was incorruptible.
40. Concerning Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.
41. Concerning the death of Justinian.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
199
[151] CHAPTERS OF THE FOURTH ECCLESIASTICAL
HISTORY OF EVAGRIUS EX-PREFECT AND SCHOLASTICUS
1. Concerning the reign of Justin the old man.
2. Concerning the murder of Vitalian.
3. Concerning the flight of Severus.
4. Concerning the election and withdrawal of Paul.
5. Concerning the election of Euphrasius.
6. Concerning Antioch’s earthquakes.
7. Concerning the election of Euphemius.
8. Concerning the miracles of Zosimas.
9. Concerning the misfortunes of Dyrrachium, Corinth,
Anazarbus, and Edessa.
10. Concerning the reign of Justinian.
11. Concerning the election of Epiphanius of Constantinople.
12. Concerning Anthimus of Constantinople’s expulsion.
13. Concerning Theodosius of Alexandria.
14. Concerning Zoilus of Alexandria.
15. Concerning what Procopius wrote that occurred between
Romans and Persians. 1
17. Concerning the Nika Riot.
18. Concerning what occurred in Africa.
19. Concerning what occurred in Italy.
20. Concerning the Abasgi who became Christians.
21. Concerning the Goths’ expedition and earthquakes through¬
out the world.
22. Concerning N arses and what occurred at Rome.
23. Concerning Antioch’s capture and what Chosroes did to
Edessa and the other cities.
[152] 24. Concerning the universal plague which occurred.
25. Concerning Justinian, and a description of the holy Church at
Constantinople.
26. Concerning the lives of various monks.
1 The scribe in fact divided this heading into two: 15 ‘Concerning what Procopius wrote
that occurred between’; 16 ‘Concerning Romans and Persians’. What survives from 16
clearly belongs with the preceding entry, but this has presumably displaced something else
(perhaps relating to the invasion of Alamundaras recorded in iv.13).
200
EVAGRIUS
27. Concerning a miracle which occurred in Constantinople under
Menas.
28. Concerning the Fifth Synod and what occurred at it.
29. Concerning incorruptibility which Justinian promoted, and
Patriarch Anastasius.
|153] BOOK IV OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
OF EVAGRIUS OF EPIPHANIA, SCHOLASTICUS AND
EX-PREFECT
1 After Anastasius had, as I have said, passed over to the better estate,
Justin, a Thracian by birth, took on the purple clothing on the ninth day
of the month Panemus, which is called July by the Romans, in the 566th
year of the Era of Antioch; 1 he was proclaimed emperor by the imperial
bodyguards, of which he was also in charge, as he had been appointed
commander of the regiments in the palace. 2 He acquired the monarchical
rule contrary to all expectation, since there were many prominent
members of Anastasius’ family who had achieved great prosperity and
wielded all the power needed to invest themselves with such a great office. 3
2 Now Amantius indeed, who was in charge of the imperial bed¬
chamber, was an especially powerful man. Since it was not lawful for a
man who had been deprived of his genitals to achieve the rule of the
Romans, he wished to invest Theocritus, who was loyal to him, with the
1 Anastasius had died on the night of 9 July 518, and Justin was crowned on the next day.
The dating formula was derived from Malalas (it is preserved in the Slavonic trans. p.120);
Ihe date is correct. For the Era of Antioch, cf. ii n. 130 above.
The best treatment of Justin’s reign is still Vasiliev, Justin.
2 Justin held the post of comes excubitorum, commander of the most important unit
within the palace guard. Evagrius’ language suggests that he believed Juslin was magister
officiorum (cf. iii.29, p. 125:28-9, with n. 94; iii.32, p. 130:23-4 for the phrase), a post held
by Celer, who also played a prominent part in the succession.
3 Anastasius had three nephews. Probus, Hypatius and Patricius, who had all been pro¬
minent during his reign (Procopius, Wars i. 11.1, makes a similar comment about the many
distinguished kinsmen who were pushed aside). Hypatius had had the most active military
career (PLREll. 577-81, s.v. Hypatius 6), but his recent humiliation at the hands ofVitalian
might have harmed his chances; Patricius, the magister militumpraesentalis ( PLRE II. 840-
2, s. v. Patricius 14), was proclaimed by the scholarii , but he was almost killed by the excubi-
tors and only rescued by the young Justinian; Probus and Patricius were both known to be
Monophysites, which would have alienated the Constantinopolitan clergy. There is an
account of proceedings in Const. Porph. De Cer. i.93.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
201
crown of monarchical rule. And indeed, after having Justin summoned,
he gave him much money, ordering him to distribute it to those who
were particularly appropriate for this and who could place the purple
robe on |154] Theocritus. Justin was invested with the rule either by
purchasing the people with the money, or by the support of the so-called
excubitors, for both are said. Forthwith then he eliminated Amantius
and Theocritus, along with others, from among men. 4
3 As for Vitalian, who was residing in Thrace (the man who had wished to
thrust Anastasius from imperial rule), Justin summoned him to the city of
Constantine, since he feared his power and experience in war, as well as his
universal reputation and the urge that he possessed for imperial rule.
Accurately realizing that the only way to get the better of him would be
to pretend to be a friend, he placed an impenetrable mask on his deceit
and designated him general of one of the so-called praesental armies. 5
And giving even more space to persuasion for the sake of greater decep¬
tion, he also advanced Vitalian to the consulship. While this man was
4 Amantius (PLRE II. 67-8, s.v. Amantius 4), was the chief eunuch, praepositus sacri
cubiculi, and a prominent Monophysite. Theocritus ( PLRE II. 1065) was his domesticus or
bodyguard; no chanting for Theocritus is mentioned in De Cer. i.93 (but this account stres¬
ses the prominence of Justin’s family, and Theocritus might have been deliberately omitted
as a failed usurper). Malalas (411:1-3) records that Justin actually distributed the money,
but the army and the people did not choose Theocritus.
On 15 and 16 July pro-Chalcedonian demonstrations in S. Sophia demanded an anath¬
ema on Severus the Manichee, the expulsion of the new Ztumas (a name given to Chrysa-
phius, the powerful eunuch in the latter years of Theodosius II who was executed soon after
Marcian’s accession: hence the allusion is to Amantius), and the reinstitution in the diptychs
of the names of Pope Leo and the patriarchs Euphemius and Macedonius as public proof of
their orthodoxy. There is a convenient summary of the meetings, including the acclama¬
tions, in Vasiliev, Justin 136—44; the full text is in Mansi, Collectio VIII. 1057-66.
Within ten days of Justin’s accession, Amantius and another cubicularius, Andrew, were
accused of plotting to proclaim Theocritus, and all three were executed; Marinus, the chief
financial adviser to Anastasius (cf. iii.42 with n. 168 above), fell from favour, and there were
various exiles (and recalls for those exiled by Anastasius): Stein, Bas-Empire II. 224. Reli¬
gious affiliation was clearly an important factor in the rivalry for the succession.
5 The accession of a Chalcedonian emperor removed one of Vitalian’s main sources of
grievance against Anastasius; he must have arrived in Constantinople very shortly after
Justin’s accession, since he is already referred to as a magister militum (praesentalis) in a
letter received at Rome on 18 July 518 (Epist. Avell. 230.4), and was acclaimed as general
and patrician at a church council at Tyre on 16 September. He played a prominent role in the
negotiations to restore ecclesiastical unity with Rome. Ps.-Zachariah (vii. 13) also refers to
his courage and military reputation.
202
EVAGRIUS
holding the consulship, on a visit to the palace he was murdered at an inner
door and died, paying this price for his insolent actions against the realm
of the Romans. But these things happened later. 6
4 But Severus who, as the previous narrative related, had been ordained
as prelate of the city of Antiochus, did not refrain from each day encom¬
passing with anathema the Synod at Chalcedon, and especially in his so-
called enthronement missives and in the responses to these which he
dispatched to the patriarchs everywhere; but they were only accepted at
the city of Alexander by John, the successor of the previous John, and in
turn Dioscorus and Timothy. These indeed have been preserved down
to our time, and from there many disputes have arisen for the church,
and the most faithful populace has been divided. 7 In the first year of his
reign Justin ordered |155| that Severus be arrested and that he suffer the
penalty of having his tongue cut out, as is rumoured by some, Irenaeus
being entrusted with the deed; the latter was in charge of the east of the
realm at the city of Antiochus. Severus, in writing to some Antiochenes
and describing the manner of his flight, confirms that Irenaeus was
entrusted with his detention; here he hurls the greatest reproaches at
Irenaeus, since he had placed an extremely strict guard around him to
prevent his escape from the city of Antiochus. 8
6 Vitalian had been given the honorary rank of ex-consul in 518, and held the consulship
in 520. In July 520 he was murdered, together with his secretary Paul and domesticus Celer,
at the part of the palace known as the Delphax (cf. v. n. 50 below); Justinian was alleged to
have been responsible (Procopius, Secret History 6.28), and certainly benefited from the
removal of a powerful rival, whom he succeeded as magister militumpraesentalis. Evagrius
is surprisingly restrained on the murder of Vitalian; contrast v.2 on Justin II’s murder of his
cousin and rival.
7 The inaugural encyclicals of Severus, with their explicit anathema on Chalcedon, have
already been mentioned at iii.33. John of Nikiu, Patriarch of Alexandria 505-16 (cf. iii.23
with n. 76), would have received these encyclicals (an Arabic version of the letter to John
survives: see Allen, Evagrius 176 n. 24); his two successors, Dioscorus II (516-17) and
Timothy IV (517-35) would have sent (heir own inaugural encyclicals to Severus at
Antioch, which he would have accepted if he approved the writer’s doctrinal position (see
Severus, Letters vi.l, for uncertainty about receiving the synodicals of Patriarch John of
Constantinople in 518).
8 From the very start of his reign Justin supported moves to have Chalcedon accepted
and anti-Chalcedonian bishops removed. Three local Synods, at Constantinople on 20 July,
Jerusalem on 6 August and Tyre on 16 September all supported the deposition of Severus.
For these developments and the associated reconciliation with Rome, see Meyendorff,
Unity 211-16; Frend, Rise 233^17.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
203
There are some who say that Vitalian, who still appeared to be the
prime influence with Justin, demanded the tongue of Severus, because in
his writings Severus insulted him. Accordingly, he fled his own see in the
month Gorpiaeus, which the Roman tongue calls September, in the
567th year of the Era of Antioch. 9 And after him there ascended to his
see Paul, who was under orders to proclaim in public the Synod of Chal-
cedon. Then Paul voluntarily withdrew from the city of Antiochus and
after measuring out his life went the way of all men; Euphrasius from
Jerusalem ascended to his see after him. 10
5 At the same time, under Justin, frequent and terrible conflagrations
occurred at Antioch, as if leading in the most frightful tremors which
took place there and providing a prelude to the sufferings. 11 For after
a short time, in the tenth month of the seventh year of his reign, in the
month Artemisius or May, on its 29th day, precisely at the very mid¬
point of the sixth day of the so-called hebdomad, a quaking and
shaking struck |156] the city and overturned and levelled almost all of
it. Fire too followed these, as if apportioning the disaster with them.
For what the former did not lay low the fire encompassed, burnt to
ashes and incinerated. And how many parts of the city suffered, how
many people (according to probable estimates) fell victim to the
fire and the earthquakes, and what things occurred, strange and
beyond description, have been movingly narrated by John the
Nothing else is known about this Irenaeus {PLRE II. 625, s. v. Irenaeus 6), the comes Or-
ientis whose office was located at Antioch; Allen, Evagrius 176, refers to unedited Coptic
and Syriac versions of this letter of Severus to the Antiochenes.
9 Ps.-Zachariah (viii.2), Ihe only other source to mention the cutting out of Severus’
tongue, attributes the order to Vitalian, (hough without explaining the latter’s hostility.
Severus fled to Alexandria, where he arrived on 29 September 518; the Antiochene date for
his flight is correct.
10 Paul ‘the Jew’, the former head of the hospice of Eubulus at Constantinople, was in¬
stalled as patriarch by July 519 and organized a vigorous campaign against the opponents of
Chalcedon; his zeal seems to have been excessive and in 521, after severe disturbances, he
asked to be allowed to withdraw from his see (Epist. Avell. 241-2). His successor, Euphra¬
sius of Jerusalem (521-6), was another vigorous opponent of the Monophysites. Evagrius, a
proponent of toleration, does not mention these unpleasant activities by Antiochene patri¬
archs.
11 Malalas 417:9-19. The first fire broke out in October 525, and destroyed a large area in
the centre of the city; over the next six months there were further conflagrations, and Justin
gave 200 pounds of gold to offset the damage. Discussion in Downey, Antioch 519-21.
204
EVAGRIUS
rhetor, 12 who terminated his history here. 13 And indeed Euphrasius
also was engulfed in the ruins and died, another disaster for the city,
so that there was no one to take provision for its needs. 14
6 But God’s saving care for men, which devises cures before the blow, and
tempers the sword of anger with mercy, which exhibits its own sympathy
at the very moment of despair, raised up Ephrem, who directed the reins
of the Eastern realm, to assume every care so that the city should not
lack any necessities. And as a consequence the sons of the Antiochenes,
in admiration, elected him as priest. And he obtained the apostolic see,
being allotted it as a reward and privilege for his especial support. 15 And
12 Malalas 419:5-421:21, with extra material in the diverse representatives of the
Malalas tradition, especially in the Slavonic translation (see the apparatus to the Jeffreys’
translation). The quake struck on 29 May 526, in Justin’s eighth year; Evagrius’ date would
have been right if he had written ‘after seven years and ten months...’, but he also antedated
ihe 528 quake by one year (cf. n. 16 below). The extant text of Malalas has the wrong year
(seventh year: Allen, Evagrius 177), though the Slavonic translation indicates that the full
version included the month as well. Malalas’ dating formula was perhaps sufficiently
unclear to mislead Evagrius into interpreting the tenth month as subordinate to the
seventh year rather than additional.
It was the day before the feast of Ascension, when the city was crowded with visitors for
ihe coming festival. Malalas states that 250,000 people perished, but also presents stories of
miraculous survival under the rubble and of divine vengeance upon a looter. For discussion
of the massive destruction, see Downey, Antioch 521^4.
13 This statement has provoked much debate: for a recent discussion, see Croke, in Jef¬
freys, Studies 17-22. The extant version of Malalas breaks off in 563, but almost certainly
terminated with Justinian’s death in 565. The main part of the Chronicle probably termi¬
nated with the death of Justin in 528: this, at least, is the implication of the Slavonic transla¬
tion, and is compatible with Evagrius’ statement here, since this earthquake is the last major
notice under Justin I. A continuation was then added by the same author, year by year, to
532. The last part of the Chronicle, from the end of the Nika Riot, appears to have been
added after an interval, perhaps not by the same author as the original text.
14 Euphrasius (cf. n. 10 above) was apparently thrown into a cauldron of boiling wax,
which Monophysite authors regarded as fitting punishment for his Chalcedonian heresy
(ps.-Zach. viii.l, 4; Malalas 423:22 confirms that he was burnt); according to the Chalcedo¬
nian writer Marcellinus Comes, s.a. 526, he was struck by an obelisk in the Hippodrome.
15 Substantial help for the work of clearance and reconstruction was provided by Justin
I, who took a personal interest in what was happening (Malalas 422:1-8). The comes Orien-
tis Ephrem of Amida was responsible for supervising the works; he was chosen as patriarch
in 527, and the appointment was confirmed after the elevation of Justinian as co-emperor in
April. His efficient relief work had demonstrated his competence at some of the most im¬
portant qualities required of a patriarch - a philanthropic nature, a penchant for organiza¬
tion and the ability to influence people of power.
For ‘the sons of the Antiochenes’, cf. i.20 with n. 175 above.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
205
again it suffered from earthquakes 30 months later. Then indeed the city of
Antiochus was called city of God, Theopolis, and obtained other support
from the emperor. 16
7 But since we have mentioned the said misfortunes, come and let us add
to the present work some other memorable events, which have been
conveyed to us by those who have narrated them. 17 There was a man
Zosimas, a Phoenician by birth from the part called Maritime, who had
been allotted as his fatherland the village of Sinde, which is not twenty
stades distant from the city of the Tyrians. He was a contender in the soli¬
tary life, and had to such an extent brought God into his person through
his abstinence from and partaking of food, 18 and by the other virtues of
his life that not only was he able to foresee future events but also had the
gift of complete serenity. [157| He was in the company of one of the nota¬
bles of the city of Caesar, which is the chief city of one of the Palestines.
This man indeed was Arcesilaus, a man of good birth and famous, who
was well provided with distinctions and the other things which decorate
the life of man. 19 This Zosimas, at the very moment of the collapse of
the city of Antiochus, suddenly put on a gloomy appearance, and
lamented and groaned inwardly, pouring forth so many tears that he
actually soaked the earth; he requested a censer, and after censing the
whole place where they stood, 20 he threw himself onto the ground and
16 The quake of May 526 had been followed by aftershocks which persisted for 18
months, though the survivors had taken heart from the appearance of a Cross in the sky
over the northern part of the city (Malalas 421:9-12). The next major earthquake struck
on 29 November 528, exactly 30 months after the shock of 526; Evagrius, however, ante¬
dated the 526 quake by one year (cf. n. 12 above), and so would probably have located this
second quake in the same year as Justinian’s accession, i.e. 527 (iv.9), which may account for
his willingness to insert the notice at this point. Casualties were much lower (4,870 accord¬
ing to Theophanes 177:31-2), but the repair work of the previous two years was nullified.
Malalas 443:16-22 states that the change of name was suggested by Symeon (Stylites the
Younger), and refers to prophecies of the loss of the old name. The northern part of the
mountain overlooking the city had been named Staurin to commemorate the apparition of
the Cross (oraupos) in 526.
17 The logic of the narrative sequence is clear, since the first of Zosimas’ miracles con¬
cerns the Antioch earthquake, after which Evagrius moves on to other wonders.
18 For the importance of knowing when to eat as well as when to fast, cf. the description
of Symeon the Fool at iv.34, p. 183:2-3; also Theodoret, HR 3.12-13.
19 I.e. Caesarea, metropolis of First Palestine; Arcesilaus is otherwise unknown.
20 Festugiere (368 n. 15) interprets this as an act of devotion following a divine visitation,
but also one with apotropaic overtones.
206
EVAGRIUS
appeased God with prayers and entreaties. Next, when Arcesilaus
enquired what indeed it was that had so distressed him, he clearly said
that the cry of the fall of the city of Antiochus had just then echoed
round his ears. As a result Arcesilaus and the bystanders, in astonish¬
ment, recorded the hour, and subsequently found that it was just as
Zosimas had declared. 21 Through him many other miracles occurred;
omitting the majority, since indeed they are of too great a number to
relate, I will relate a few.
At the same time as Zosimas there flourished a man named John,
who was similar in his virtues; he had wrestled in the solitary and proper¬
tyless life at the monastery of Choziba, which is situated at the edge of the
ravine at the northern part of the highway which leads travellers from
Jerusalem to the city of the men of Jericho, 22 but was now bishop of the
city of Caesar, which I have already mentioned. 23 When he heard that
the wife of Arcesilaus, whom I have mentioned, had put out one of her
eyes with a weaving shuttle, this John the Chozibite went to her at the
run to inspect the injury. When he saw that the pupil had fallen out and
that the entire eye was discharging, he instructed one of the attendant
doctors to bring a sponge, to reinstate |158| what had discharged, as far
as he could, and to bind on the sponge and secure it with bandages. All
this was while Arcesilaus was absent, for he happened to be with
Zosimas in his monastery, which lay near the village of Sinde, about 500
stades distant from the city of Caesar. Accordingly runners raced off for
21 The recluse Theodosius emerged from his cell to encourage his brethren to pray for
mercy to avert an imminent affliction - six or seven days later, an earthquake struck Antioch
(Life, pp. 86:14-87:23). An analogous miracle is told of Symeon the Fool and the earth¬
quake of 551 (iv.34; cf. also less specific predictions of destruction in the Life of Symeon
Ihe Younger, ch. 104-5).
Long-distance announcements of current events are quite common in miracle collections,
but usually involve the death of an important personage, e.g. John the Almsgiver (Life of
John ch. 46) or the emperor Maurice (Theophylact viii.13.7-14); cf. also Rufus, Pleroph-
ories 6, 54; Pratum Spirituale 57 (Holy Men). It was obviously essential to record the
precise time or circumstances of the pronouncement.
22 The monastery of Choziba is sited about five kilometres west of Jericho, tucked into
Ihe base of the canyon wall on the north side of the Wadi Kelt/Qilt (for description and
photograph of the extant buildings, see Hirschfeld, Monasteries 36-8); it was sufficiently
close to the Jerusalem-Jericho highway for one of the monastic tasks to be offering refresh¬
ment to travellers.
23 John the Chozibite received a delegation of monastic leaders at Caesarea in 518 (Life
of Sabas ch. 61). Pratum Spirituale 25 has a story about John giving Holy Communion in
Ihe monastery of Choziba.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
207
Arcesilaus to announce this. Arcesilaus was sitting by Zosimas having a
discussion. When he learnt this he uttered a piercing wail, rent and
pulled out his hair and threw it into the air. When Zosimas asked the
reason, Arcesilaus said what had happened with frequent interruptions
for groans and tears. And so Zosimas left him and hurried by himself
into a certain room where, as is the custom for such people, he used to
commune with God. After some time he approached him again and he
greeted Arcesilaus with a solemn smile and spoke to him, touching his
hand: ‘Depart in happiness, depart; grace has been granted to the Chozi-
bite. Your wife is cured, she has both her eyes, and the misfortune had
no power to deprive her of anything, since such was the will of the Chozi-
bite.’ This indeed happened, with the two just men working wonders for
the same purpose.
Once when this Zosimas was going to the city of Caesar and was
leading along an ass on which he had placed some of his necessities, a
lion came up, seized the ass and departed. Zosimas followed him into
the wood until the lion became satiated from his feast on the beast;
Zosimas smiled at it and said: ‘Look here, my friend, my journey has
been interrupted, while I am stout, have gone far beyond youth and am
incapable of carrying on my back what was loaded onto the animal.
Therefore it is necessary for you, contrary to the law of nature, to carry
the burden, if indeed you wish Zosimas to leave these parts and you to
become a wild beast again.’ |159] And the lion forgetting its ferocity,
fawned and at once ran gently up to Zosimas, and through its demeanour
proclaimed obedience. Zosimas put on him the ass’s burden and led him
as far as the gates of the city of Caesar, showing God’s power, and how
all things are obedient slaves to men when we live for Him and do not
debase the grace given to us. 24 But so as not to protract the narrative
with more examples, I will return to the point from which I made the
digression.
8 While Justin was still directing the monarchical rule, what is now
called Dyrrachium, but was formerly Epidamnus, suffered from an
24 Peaceable communion with animals, especially with the most ferocious, namely the
lion, was a sure sign of sanctity, and there are numerous stories of saints being helped or
befriended by lions (with Daniel in the lions' den as an archetype). For extended discussion,
see Elliott, Roads 144—67, with further examples in Chadwick, ‘Moschus’ 68 and Theodor-
et, HR 6.2; Life of Sabas chs. 23, 33, 49; Life of Euthymius ch. 13; as Chadwick observes, in
reality anchorites might fall prey to wild animals.
208
EVAGRIUS
agitation of the earth; likewise also Corinth, which is situated in Greece,
and then also Anazarbus, which is capital of the second province of the
Cilicians, - its fourth affliction. Justin restored these cities at great
expense. About the same time also Edessa, a very great and prosperous
city of Osrhoene, was inundated by the waters of the torrent Skirtos
which flows by it, so that most of its buildings were swept away and a
countless multitude perished, whom the water took and carried off.
Edessa and Anazarbus were accordingly renamed by the same Justin,
and each of them was adorned with his own appellation. 25
9 When this Justin had led the empire for eight years and nine months
and a few days, his nephew Justinian became co-emperor after being
proclaimed on the first of the month Xanthicus, or rather April, in the
575th year of the Era of Antioch. 26 And after these matters had
proceeded in this way, Justin departed the present empire on reaching
the perfect day on the first day of Lous, which is also the month August,
after being co-emperor |160| with Justinian for four months, and having
in total exercised the monarchical rule for nine years in addition to a
few days.
When Justinian alone girded on the whole rule of the Roman
dominion, although the Synod at Chalcedon was already being
proclaimed throughout the most holy churches on the orders of Justin,
as I have described, ecclesiastical dispositions were still in disarray in
some prefectures, and especially in the emperor’s city and that of Alex¬
ander: Anthimus was presiding over the bishopric of the queen of cities,
while Theodosius was leading the church of the Alexandrians. For both
these held the opinion of the one and only nature. 27
25 The information in this chapter, all of which originated in the same passage of
Malalas (417:20^419:4), has been inserted out of chronological sequence: Dyrrachium and
Corinth were struck by a quake in 520, Anazarbus in the next year. The flood at Edessa,
which is said to have claimed 30,000 lives, occurred on 22 April 525; there are other ac¬
counts of the disaster in Procopius, Buildings ii.7.2-12 (which also describes the repair
work carried out by Justinian), and the Chronicle ofZuqnin (Witakowski pp. 41-3).
26 The regnal length and Antiochene year are correct. Marc. Com. s.a. and Chron.
Pasch. 617:18-20 support the date of 1 April 527, though the Slavonic Malalas (the date is
omitted from the notice in the Greek text: 422:9-19) and the brief account of the co-option
ceremony in De Cer. i.95 have 4 April: following an illness, Justin had been urged by the
senate to co-opt a colleague, and Justinian was crowned by Patriarch Epiphanius.
27 Evagrius has not explicitly stated that Justin had ordered the proclamation of Chal¬
cedon, but this can be inferred from the description of events at Antioch in iv.4. Evagrius has
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
209
10 Now, whereas Justinian most resolutely supported those who had
gathered at Chalcedon and what had been expounded by them, his
consort Theodora upheld those who speak of one nature, whether
because they did in truth hold these views - for when there is a proposal
to discuss the faith, fathers are at odds with children, and children in turn
with those who begat them, a wife with her own spouse and in turn again
a husband with his own spouse - or because they had reached some sort
of accommodation, so that he would support those who speak of two
natures in Christ our God whereas she would do the same for those who
advocate one nature. At any rate, then, neither made any concession to
the other: but he most enthusiastically upheld what had been agreed at
Chalcedon, while she sided with those on the opposite side and made
every provision for those who speak of one nature; she both looked after
local people and welcomed outsiders with considerable sums of money.
She also persuaded Justinian to have Severus summoned. 28
anticipated somewhat in the allusion to episcopal disarray, since at Justinian’s accession
Timothy IV was still in control at Alexandria (517-35) and Epiphanius at Constantinople
(520-35). (hough their respective successions caused problems. At Constantinople Anlhi-
mus was appointed patriarch in June 535 with the reputation for being a Chalcedonian,
but soon came under the influence of Severus and proclaimed his agreement with the latter’s
doctrinal views (ps.-Zach. ix.21; for discussion of Anthimus, see Honigmann, Studies 185—
93). At Alexandria Theodosius, a Severan Monophysite, had been installed in February 535
with the support of the empress Theodora, but he was driven from his see by the more
extreme Gaianus (a Julianist, who believed in the incorruptibility of Christ’s human flesh,
even before the resurrection), who had strong support from the local population; Theodo¬
sius was only restored to office by imperial troops, after some bloodshed.
28 Theodora: PLRE III. 1240-1, x.v. Theodora 1; though opposed to Theodora on doc¬
trinal grounds, Evagrius does not make any allusions to her colourful past.
Religious disagreement between the imperial pair is also reported by Procopius (Secret
History 10.13-15; 27.12-13), who naturally placed an unfavourable interpretation on the
discord as one aspect of the couple’s policy of divide and rule. Although a Chalcedonian
by birth and conviction, Justinian still made strenuous attempts to reconcile the Monophy-
sites which are not fully recorded by Evagrius (e.g. the protracted negotiations in 532, or the
Theopaschite Edict in 533). Theodora’s Monophysite credentials are attested by John of
Ephesus and later Monophysite writers: she provided accommodation in the Palace of Hor-
misdas for as many as 500 persecuted Monophysites ‘from all quarters of the East and of the
West, and Syria and Armenia, Cappadocia and Cilicia, Isauria and Lycaonia, and Asia and
Alexandria and Byzantium’; even Justinian on occasions came to see the holy men and
receive their blessing (John of Ephesus, Lives 47, PO 18. 676-84).
Ps.-Zachariah (ix.19) refers to Theodora’s enthusiasm for Severus, which ensured that
Justinian gave him a friendly reception.
210
EVAGRIUS
11 Now letters from Severus both to Justinian and to Theodora are
preserved, from which it is possible to grasp that at first he deferred
his journey towards the imperial city |161| after he had left the see of
Antioch; later, however, he reached it. 29 And he has written that
when he had come to the emperor’s city, and met Anthimus, and
found that he was very similar in doctrine and conception about God
to himself, he persuaded him to stand down from his seat. He wrote
about these matters to Theodosius, who was bishop of the Alexan¬
drians’ city, and in the letter he also boasted how he persuaded the
same Anthimus, as has been said, to give preference to such doctrines
over earthly glory and his own seat. Letters from Anthimus to Theo¬
dosius about this are also extant, and in turn from Theodosius to
Severus and Anthimus, which I am omitting, leaving them to those
who wish to read them, lest I pile up a boundless mass in the present
work. 30
Be that as it may, since they went against the emperor’s commands
and did not accept what was agreed at Chalcedon, both were expelled
from their own sees, and Zoilus succeeded to that of Alexandria
while Epiphanius to that of the imperial city; thereafter the Synod at
Chalcedon was publicly proclaimed in all the churches, and no one
dared to encompass it with anathema, while those who did not hold
29 Severus declined Justinian’s summons to participate in the doctrinal discussions of
532 (a flattering letter of apology is preserved at ps.-Zach. ix.16), but he eventually came to
Ihe capital in 535.
30 Evagrius here summarizes the correspondence preserved at Ps.-Zachariah ix.23-6,
which followed the crucial exchange between Anthimus and Severus at Constantinople
(ps.-Zach. ix.21-2), whose substance Severus then relayed to Theodosius. The passage
about preferring correct doctrine to earthly glory in fact comes near the start of Severus’
reply to Anthimus’ encyclical (ps.-Zach. ix.22), where he complimented the new patriarch
on not permitting his elevation to divert him from the correct religion. Evagrius has both
misplaced the allusion, and falsely accused Severus of boasting of his responsibility for
Anthimus’ resignation (cf. n. 31 below). Allen, Evagrius 172, overstates Evagrius’ sympathy
for Severus.
Evagrius is silent on Justinian’s Theopaschite initiative, which was intended to resolve a
dispute at Constantinople between different supporters of Chalcedon, on the one hand the
Sleepless Monks who had led opposition to Zeno’s Henoticon and Acacius (iii. 18 21) but
whose objections to contemporary neo-Chalcedonian views led to accusations of Nestor-
ianism, and on the other the Scythian Monks who supported Ihe formula ‘One of the
Trinity suffered’: see Grillmeier, Christ II.2 315-55. This debate provided the focus for the
emperor’s attempts at religious unity in the 530s: see Meyendorff, Unity 224.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
211
these views were coerced in innumerable ways to move towards its
approval. 31
Therefore, legislation was composed by Justinian in which he anath¬
ematized Severus and Anthimus along with others, and subjected to very
great penalties those who advocated their doctrines. And so from that
time no rupture still remained in the churches wherever they are located,
but the patriarchs of each diocese are in agreement with one another, and
the bishops of the cities follow their individual leaders; and throughout
the churches four Synods [162] are proclaimed, first that at Nicaea, next
that at Constantinople, third the first at Ephesus, fourth that at Chal-
cedon. 32 And a fifth Synod also took place at Justinian’s command:
31 The realization that Anthimus was Monophysite provoked a storm of protest, with
appeals being sent to Pope Agapetus in Rome after Anthimus refused to make any conces¬
sions in favour of Chalcedon. Agapetus arrived in Constantinople in March 536, partly on a
diplomatic mission from the Ostrogothic king, Theodahad, to persuade Justinian to termi¬
nate military action in Sicily and Dalmatia, and Anthimus almost immediately resigned his
see on the grounds of uncanonical election (since he had been transferred from the see of
Trapezus). The new patriarch, Menas, was consecrated on 13 March; Epiphanius (520-35)
had in fact been Anthimus’ predecessor.
Theodosius of Alexandria was summoned to the capital in December 536; after the
failure of a lengthy attempt to persuade him to accept Chalcedon, he was deposed and sent
into exile in Thrace. His immediate sucessor was Paul the Tabennesiot (537^10), who had to
resign after being involved in a murder charge, and he was succeeded by Zoilus, a Palesti¬
nian monk (540-51). Evagrius could no longer rely on Zachariah for information about
episcopal successions, but he had not yet reached the period of which he had direct experi¬
ence; the correct information should have been available in the patriarchal records at
Antioch, but Evagrius presumably relied on his own imprecise memory.
The fiercest persecution of Monophysites is recorded in the Patriarchate of Antioch,
where Ephrem was inspired to action, with enthusiastic support from Abraham bar
Khaili, the bishop of Amida (ps.-Zach. x.1-2; John of Ephesus, Lives 5, PO 17. 95-105; 24,
PO 18. 522—4): there were arrests, exiles, imprisonments, and some Monophysites were
even burnt to death for their faith.
32 Following Anthimus’ resignation, a Synod was held at Constantinople in May and
June 536 at which he was declared to be heretical, while the condemnation of Severus was
renewed. These decisions were confirmed in an imperial law issued on 6 August 536 (Novel
42), which also mentioned by name two of Severus’ leading supporters and companions on
his mission to Constantinople, Peter Bishop of Apamea, and the monk Zooras. Justinian
commanded that Severus’ writings, which were equated with the anti-Christian works of
Porphyry, should be burnt: see Grillmeier, Christ II.2 315-55.
Evagrius’ assertion that this measure ended the rupture in the churches is no more than
superficially true, if that: Egypt, outside Alexandria and its immediate hinterland, remained
under Monophysite control, and even in Syria persecution did not make all Monophysites
submit. The removal of bishops and monastic leaders created a severe short-term problem,
212
EVAGRIUS
concerning this I shall tell what is appropriate at the appropriate
moments, 33 but for the meantime what occurred in succession during his
time and is worthy of mention will be interwoven in the present history.
12 It has been written by Procopius the rhetor in composing his history
concerning Belisarius, that Cabades the Persian king wished to confer the
royal rule on his son Chosroes who was younger than his other sons; in
agreement with Chosroes he planned to grant him to the Roman emperor
as an adopted son, so that in consequence the affairs of his realm might be
disposed most safely for him. Then, after they failed in this, at the instiga¬
tion of Proclus who attended on Justinian in the capacity of quaestor,
they extended to a greater degree their hatred towards the Romans. 34
Accordingly the said Procopius has set forth most assiduously and
elegantly and eloquently what was done by Belisarius, when he
commanded the eastern forces, and by the Romans and Persians when
they fought against each other. Now, he records a first victory for the
Romans in the territory of Dara and Nisibis, when Belisarius and
Hermogenes as well were disposing the Roman armies. To this he
attaches all that happened in the country of the Armenians, and what
Alamundarus, who was leader of the Scenite barbarians, wrought on
the land of the Romans; that man indeed captured Timostratus, the
brother of Rufinus, together with the soldiers in his company, and subse¬
quently gave them back for large sums of money. 35
but in 542 James Baradaeus and Theodore were consecrated as bishops and sent from Con¬
stantinople to the East, in the first instance to respond to a request for Monophysite clergy
from the powerful Ghassanid king, al-Harith; thereafter James, in particular, consecrated
bishops and clergy throughout the eastern provinces (Frend, Rise 284-8).
33 See iv.38 below.
34 Wars i.11.1-30. Of Kavadh’s two elder sons, Kaoses was an adherent of the discre¬
dited Mazdakite movement and Zames was disqualified from kingship by the loss of an
eye; both, however, had their supporters, hence Kavadh’s attempt to secure external recog¬
nition for Khusro in 525/6. Proclus (PLRE II. 924-5, x.v. Proculus 5) was quaestor (chief
legal adviser) for most of Justin I’s reign; he argued that Khusro, as an adopted son, might
lay claim to the Roman empire as his inheritance.
35 Evagrius has ignored the first three years of the war, as, largely, did Procopius. The
battle at Dara in 530 is described at Wars i.13-14. and the Armenian campaign of the same
year at i. 15; the material about the Lakhmid al-Mundhir comes from a resume of the Arab’s
earlier achievements against the Romans which is included in the 531 campaign (Wars
i. 17.40-6); the capture of the dux Mesopotamiae Timostratus (PLRE II. 1119-20) and his
troops had occurred in the context of a frontier dispute in 523.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
213
13 He also gives an emotional description |163] of the invasion of the
land of the Romans by Alamundarus, whom I have already mentioned,
and Azareth, and how, while they were making their withdrawal to their
own land, Belisarius engaged them by the banks of the Euphrates on the
eve of Easter day, under compulsion from his own army, and how the
Roman army was destroyed because it did not accept the advice of Beli¬
sarius, and how Rufinus and Hermogenes arranged the so-called
Endless Peace with the Persians. 36
To this he adds the popular riot which occurred at Byzantium, to
which the password of the demes has given its appellation: for as its
name they call it The Nika’, since when the demes were united with
each other they gave this as a password for their mutual recognition.
During this both Hypatius and Pompeius were forced into usurpation
by the demes, but after the demes had been overcome they were both
decapitated by the soldiers on Justinian’s orders and cast into the sea.
Procopius says that 30,000 people, indeed, perished in this affair. 37
14 When the same man writes about the Vandals, very great events
which are worthy of perpetual preservation in memory are set out, and
these I proceed to relate. Huneric, on inheriting the kingship from
Geiseric, being a devotee of the views of Arius, made most savage dispo¬
sitions concerning the Christians in Libya who advocated the correct
doctrines, compelling them to convert to the doctrine of the Arians.
And those who did not submit he destroyed by fire and countless forms
of death, while some he deprived of their tongues. Procopius said that
he actually had occasion to see them when they came to the emperor’s
36 The invasion of 531, which culminated in the Roman defeat at Callinicum on 19 April,
is reported in Wars i.18, and the negotiations for the Endless Peace in 531-2 in Wars i.22.
Evagrius seems unaware of the rather different account of Callinicum in Malalas 461:8—
465:16. in which Belisarius’ behaviour is much less sympathetically presented: cf. iv.5 with
n. 13 above for the terminus of Evagrius’ version of Malalas.
37 The Nika (‘Victory’) Riot of January 532, in which the Blue and Green circus factions
(‘demes’) combined in a week-long orgy of violence, is reported at Wars i.24. For discussion,
see Bury, History II. 39^18; Cameron, Factions 277-80; Whitby and Whitby, Chronicon
112-26; Greatrex, ‘Nika’.
These two chapters present a reasonable summary of those events of Justinian’s reign
described in Wars i (of which much is devoted to historical background and geographical
descriptions): the two major battles in which Belisarius was involved are noted, as well as
the Nika Riot; only the reference to al-Mundhir might seem disproportionate to his pre¬
sence in Procopius’ narrative.
214
EVAGRIUS
city after escaping there, and he had a discussion with them while they
spoke as if they had suffered nothing; and whereas their tongues had
been cut out at the very root, their voice was clear and they conversed
intelligibly, |164| a strange and wondrous miracle. They are also
mentioned in a constitution of Justin. Two of these indeed lapsed, as the
same Procopius records. For when they wanted to consort with women,
they were deprived of their voice, since the grace of their martyrdom
remained with them no longer. 38
15 And he relates another marvellous action of the saviour God, Who
effected a miracle among men alien in their religion but who acted
piously in this case. He says that Cabaon was leader of the Moors near
Tripolis: 39
This Cabaon’, he says (for it is worth using his words, since he
describes these matters too in a noteworthy way),
when he learnt that the Vandals were taking the field against him,
did as follows: first he instructed his followers to abstain from all
injustice and food that is conducive to luxury and, especially,
from contacts with women. After establishing two stockades, he
himself encamped in the one with all the men while in the other
he confined the women, and threatened that death would be the
penalty if anyone went to the women’s stockade. Then he sent
spies to Carthage with these instructions: whenever the Vandals,
as they were proceeding on campaign, committed outrages
against any shrine which the Christians revere, they should
observe what happened, but when the Vandals moved to another
location they should do the exact opposite to the holy place from
which those people had departed on their march. It is said that
38 The persecutions of Huneric (477-84) are described at Wars iii.8.1-4, though the de¬
scription of the tongueless talkers is a rather free adaptation: Procopius does not actually
claim to have ‘had a discussion with them’, but merely that the men were still around in
Constantinople in his time (Evtuyxsiv could be translated more weakly as ‘met’, but I
accept the stronger interpretation, as do BEL and Festugiere, because of the context). He
also does not mention the law of Justinian (not Justin), Cod. lust, i.27.1, 4. Many more
details of the persecution are recorded by Victor of Vita, including the story that certain
people had their tongues and right hands cut off but remained capable of talking clearly -
as an example, the subdeacon Reparatus is mentioned, who was held in high esteem by Zeno
and Ariadne at Constantinople (Victor iii.30).
39 Wars iii.8.15 29, with a few minor variations noted in Bidez-Parmentier’s apparatus.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
215
he also declared this, that although he was ignorant of the God
whom the Christians revere, it was likely, he said, that if He was
strong, as was stated. He would punish those who committed out¬
rages but defend those who served Him. |165]
And so the spies, on coming to Carthage, remained quietly
while they observed the Vandals’ preparation, but when the
army moved towards Tripolis, they followed it after dressing
themselves in humble clothing. When the Vandals encamped on
the first day they brought their horses and other animals into the
Christians’ shrines, refrained from no outrage, and themselves
behaved with characteristic lack of restraint; they scourged what¬
ever priests they captured and, after extensively lacerating their
backs, they ordered them to wait on them. As soon as they had
departed from there, Cabaon’s spies did what he had instructed
them: for they at once cleansed the shrines, removing with great
care the dung and any other impurity that was lying there, they
lit all the lamps, deferred to the priests with great reverence and
greeted them with all other kindness; after giving silver to the
beggars who were sitting round these shrines, they followed the
Vandals’ army in this way. And from this place all along their
route the Vandals committed the same crimes and the spies
ministered.
And when they were about to draw near, the spies went on
ahead and announced to Cabaon all that had been done by the
Vandals and by themselves to the shrines of the Christians, and
that the enemy were somewhere close by. And on hearing this,
he made ready for the encounter. And so most of the Vandals,’
as he says, ‘were destroyed, 40 but there were also some who came
into the enemy’s hands, and very few from this army returned
home. These things it befell Thrasamund to suffer from the
Moors; and he died later on, after ruling the Vandals for 27
years. 41 [166]
40 The details of Cabaon’s battle array (Procopius, Wars iii.8.25-8) have been omitted;
this is probably a deliberate omission, rather than a lacuna or scribal error, since the gap is
probably signalled by the resumptive ‘as he says’.
41 AD 496-523. Cabaon is not mentioned elsewhere, and the date of this campaign is
unknown.
216
EVAGRIUS
16 The same author records how Justinian, after announcing an expedi¬
tion out of consideration for the Christians who were experiencing ill-
treatment there, was being restrained from his purpose by the warnings
of John, who was prefect of the court, and that a dream appeared to him
commanding him not to shrink from the attack: for by defending the
Christians he would destroy the affairs of the Vandals. Consequently he
was emboldened and, during the seventh year of his reign, he sent
Belisarius to the Carthaginian war at about the summer solstice; when
the flagship put in at the promontory which is in front of the palace,
Epiphanius the bishop of the city made the customary prayers and
embarked on the flagship some of the soldiers whom he had just
baptized. 42
He also related the business of the martyr Cyprian which is worthy of
narration; he says this, word for word:
The Carthaginians especially revere Cyprian, a holy man. And
outside the city beside the seashore they established for him a
shrine, which is worthy of great fame; among other acts of venera¬
tion they also celebrate an annual festival, which in fact they call
the Cypriana, and from him the sailors are accustomed to give a
name that is the same as the festival to the stormy weather which
I have just mentioned, since it is wont to strike at the season at
which the Libyans have always had the habit of conducting this
feast. When Huneric was king, the Vandals forcibly removed this
shrine from the Christians, driving out the priests from there
with great dishonour, and for the future reorganized it as belong¬
ing to the Arians. The Libyans were aggrieved and distressed by
this, [167] but they say that Cyprian frequently visited in a dream
and said that the Christians should not have the slightest
concern about him, for in the progress of time he would be his
own avenger. 43
42 This paragraph summarizes the debate over the Vandal expedition between Justinian
and the praetorian prefect, John the Cappadocian (PLRE III. 627-35, j.v. Ioannes 11),
although in Procopius the dream appeared to an anonymous bishop, who then reported it
to the emperor (Wars iii. 10.1 21); Evagrius skips the details of Ihe military preparations to
focus on religious ceremonies connected with the departure in summer 533 (Wars iii.12.1-
2). Festugiere (378 n. 39) suggests that the newly baptized soldiers were meant to protect the
flagship.
43 Wars iii.21.17—21, with variations noted in Bidez-Parmentier’sa/^arato.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
217
And the prediction came to pass in the time of Belisarius, after
Carthage was made subject to the Romans by the general Belisarius
in the 95th year of its captivity, when the Vandals had been comple¬
tely outfought and the doctrine of the Arians was utterly driven
from the land of the Libyans and the Christians had recovered their
own shrines, in accordance with the prediction of the martyr
Cyprian. 44
17 These things too are recorded by the same man 45 He says that when
Belisarius came to Byzantium after defeating the Vandals, conveying
the spoils and captives of the war, including Gelimer himself, the leader
of the Vandals, a triumph was granted to him and he brought into the
Hippodrome everything that was worthy of wonder. Among these there
was a vast quantity of treasures, since Geiseric had plundered the palace
at Rome, as I have previously described, when Eudoxia, the wife of
Valentinian who ruled the Western Romans, after being deprived of her
husband and having her honour violated by Maximus, had sent for
Geiseric with a promise to betray the city; on that occasion indeed, after
burning Rome, he had brought Eudoxia together with her daughters to
the Vandals’ territories. Along with other treasures he had then plun¬
dered what Titus, the son of Vespasian, had brought to Rome after
enslaving Jerusalem, the dedications that Solomon had made in rever¬
ence for God. In honour of Christ our God, Justinian had sent these
back to Jerusalem, |168] paying appropriate respect to the divinity, and
they were dedicated just as previously. Then Procopius says that
Gelimer prostrated himself on the ground in the Hippodrome in front of
the emperor’s seat, where Justinian sat watching proceedings, and spoke
44 Procopius (Wars iii.21.22-5) records how the Arian priests had made all the prepara¬
tions for the Cypriana festival just before the battle of Ad Decimum (the battle was fought
on 13 September, the day before the festival of Cyprian); they abandoned the shrine at the
news of the Vandal defeat, so that the Nicene clergy could walk in to recover the shrine and
celebrate the festival in accordance with the prophecy (even before the conclusion of the
war). Evagrius has composed his own version of the prophecy’s fulfilment, relating to the
overall defeat of the Vandals and the liberation of all churches. Carthage fell to the Vandals
in 439, so the Justinianic reconquest in 533 did occur in the 95th year.
45 In contrast to the material on Cabaon and Cyprian in the two preceding chapters, this
chapter is not introduced as a verbatim report from Procopius (pace Allen, Evagrius 186).
218
EVAGRIUS
the sacred utterance in his own tongue: ‘Vanity of Vanities, all is
Vanity.’ 46
18 He says something else too, which is not narrated at all before him,
but is astonishing and surpasses every wondrous extreme. Now he
narrates that the nation of Libyans, the Moors, settled in Libya after
migrating from the land of Palestine, and that they are the people whom
sacred scriptures record as Gergesites and Jebusites and the other
nations which were conquered by Joshua the son of Nun. He proves that
the story is true in all respects through a certain inscription, composed
in Phoenician letters, which he says that he actually read: this was near
a spring, where there are two columns made of white stone, on which
this is carved: ‘We are those who fled from the presence of Joshua the
robber, the son of Nun.’ 47
And so he thus terminated these matters, with Libya again becoming
subject to the Romans and contributing annual taxes as it had before.
Justinian is said to have restored a hundred and fifty cities in Libya,
some of which were completely ruined, others largely so. And he
renewed them to greater magnificence with surpassing beautification
and adornments both in private and in public works, and with circuits
of walls and other very great structures, by which cities are adorned and
the Divinity propitiated, as well as water-conduits both for essential
need and beauty, some of which were introduced for the first time since
the cities had not had them before, while others in turn were brought
back again to their ancient order. 48
46 A brief summary of the account of Belisarius’ triumph in 534 (Procopius, Wars iv.9.1-
12), although Evagrius has introduced a long reference to his own account of the sack of
Rome in 455 (ii.7); Gelimer’s Biblical quotation is from Ecclesiastes 1.2.
47 A summary of Procopius, Wars iv.10.13-22 (who does not claim to have read the
inscription).
In contrast to his treatment of Procopius Wars i, Evagrius’ presentation of the Vandal
wars almost completely ignores the military activity and concentrates instead on the
various miraculous incidents which Procopius mentioned. Thus, far from distorting the
boundaries of ecclesiastical history in order to incorporate secular narrative, Evagrius has
in fact only incorporated those parts of the military history which suited his own religious
purpose.
48 Procopius describes Justinian’s works at Carthage, and other places in reconquered
Africa, in Buildings vi.4-7; Evagrius did not know this work, and his source for this general
description of Justinian’s activities cannot be identified. Substantial repair work was needed
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
219
19 I proceed to tell also of what happened in Italy, |169] matters too
which Procopius the rhetor has elaborated exceedingly clearly as far as
his own times. Theoderic captured Rome, as I have previously
recorded, 49 after utterly defeating its tyrant Odoacer, and became
leader of the Roman realm. When he had measured out his life, his wife
Amalasuntha assumed the guardianship of their common son,
Atalarich, and directed the kingdom; she was a woman rather inclined
to masculinity, and thus made provision for affairs. She first inspired
Justinian with a desire for the Gothic war by sending ambassadors to
him after a plot was devised against herself. And when Atalarich then
departed from among men while still a very young man, Theodatus, a
kinsman of Theoderic, assumed the rule of western affairs. But when
Justinian had sent Belisarius to the western regions, he stood down
from rule, since he was devoted rather to letters and had minimal experi¬
ence of wars, while Vitigis, a most warlike man, was leader of the
western forces. 50
From the compositions of the same Procopius one can gather that
when Belisarius reached the land of Italy Vitigis had abandoned
Rome while Belisarius approached Rome with his army. The Romans
most joyfully opened their gates and welcomed him, with its arch¬
bishop Silverius being especially responsible for achieving this since
he sent to him Fidelius, who had been an associate of Atalarich.
Without a battle, indeed, they surrendered the city to him. And
Rome again came under Roman control after 60 years, on the ninth
of Apellaeus which is called by Romans the month of December, in
after the period of Vandal control, since the Vandals had deliberately slighted the fortifica¬
tions at most cities, and had not spent money on the urban fabric or catholic churches.
49 Evagrius iii.27.
50 A very brief summary of Procopius, Wars v.2-11, which narrates Gothic history from
the death of Theoderic (30 August 526), through the troubled regency of his daughter (not
his wife) Amalsuintha (PLRE II. 65) on behalf of Theoderic’s grandson, Athalarich (PLRE
II. 175); the latter died on 2 October 534 (aged sixteen, so perhaps not ‘very young’: Allen,
Evagrius 186, suggests that Evagrius was misled by a confused recollection of his eight-year
reign); Amalasuintha then married Theoderic’s nephew, Theodahad (PLRE II. 1067-8),
with the intention of retaining power herself, but Theodahad had her arrested and killed;
the murder presented Justinian with a reasonable pretext for war, and in 536 Belisarius
landed in Italy and captured Naples after a siege; this prompted the Goths to depose the
inactive Theodahad and proclaim Vitigis (PLRE III. 1382-6) as king in November 536.
220
EVAGRIUS
the eleventh year of the emperor Justinian’s direction of monarchical
rule. 51
The same Procopius records that, when the Goths |170| were besie¬
ging Rome, Belisarius, having a suspicion of treachery against the city’s
archbishop Silverius, transported him to Greece and appointed Vigilius
as archbishop. 52
20 At about the same time, as the same Procopius records, the Heruls,
who had already crossed the river Danube while Anastasius was steering
the Roman realm, after receiving generous treatment from Justinian,
who granted them large sums of money, became Christians en masse
and changed to a milder lifestyle. 53
21 Then he relates Belisarius’ return to Byzantium, and how he brought
back Vitigis along with the spoils from Rome, Totila’s acquisition of the
Roman realm and how Rome again came under the Goths, that Beli¬
sarius after twice landing in Italy recovered Rome again, and how when
the Persian war broke out Belisarius was again summoned back to
Byzantium by the emperor. 54
51 A summary of Wars v.14.4-5,14. After Belisarius’ capture of Naples, Vitigis decided
not to devote his main forces to defending Rome, but he did install a Gothic garrison and
urge the inhabitants to remember the benefits they had received from Theoderic, so that he
did not entirely abandon the city. Belisarius entered Rome in December 536, while the
Gothic garrison was allowed to withdraw.
52 Wars v.25.13. Vigilius, the papal representative ( apocrisarius ) at Constantinople, had
hoped to succeed Agapetus as Pope in 536 and reached some sort of understanding with the
empress Theodora about the attitude he would take to Chalcedon; however, before he could
return to Italy, Silverius had already been chosen in June 536. Theodora apparently contin¬
ued to scheme for the appointment of Vigilius, and during the Gothic siege of Rome in 537
accusations of treachery were produced and Silverius was deposed on 11 March, to be re¬
placed by Vigilius on 29 March 537 (Liber Pontificalis, Life of Silverius).
53 A summary of Wars vi. 14.28-36. The Heruls, a tribe renowned for their barbarous
customs, which Procopius describes at some length, were among the troops which Narses
brought to Italy in 538. The Herul king, Greps, was baptized at Constantinople on 6
January 528, with Justinian acting as godparent.
54 An extremely brief summary of events in Procopius. Belisarius returned to Constan¬
tinople in 540 (Wars vii.l), part of the reason being the war with Persia which had just
broken out. The victorious campaigns of Totila (PLRE III. 1328-32), who became Gothic
king in 541, occupy most of Wars vii; he captured Rome on 17 December 546, after a siege
lasting one year (vii.20). Belisarius returned to Italy in 544, where he found it difficult to
contain Totila’s successes; there was, however, no difficulty about reoccupying Rome early
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
221
22 The same man narrates that the Abasgi were converted to milder
behaviour about the same time and adopted the Christian doctrines,
after the emperor Justinian had sent to them one of the palace eunuchs
called Euphratas, an Abasgian by race, to prohibit anyone thereafter in
that nation from being deprived of his genital organs, with nature being
violated by the knife. For from them in general are appointed those who
serve in the imperial bedchamber, who are customarily called eunuchs.
Justinian also then constructed a shrine to the Mother of God among
the Abasgi and appointed priests for them, with the result that they
learnt the Christian doctrines most accurately. 55
23 It is narrated by the same man that those who inhabit Tanais - the
locals call Tanais the outflow from the Maiotic marsh as far as the
Euxine Sea - importuned Justinian to dispatch a bishop to them, and
Justinian effected the accomplishment of the request |171] and most
gladly sent a priest to them. 56 The same man records most eloquently
the expeditions of the Goths from Maiotis against the Roman land in
the time of Justinian, 57 the severe earthquakes that occurred in Greece,
that Boeotia and Achaea and the environs of the gulf of Crisaea were
shaken and countless places and cities were levelled to the foundations,
and that in many places there were chasms in the earth, some of
which came together again while there are others which have still
remained. 58
24 He also relates the campaign of Narses, who was sent by Justinian to
the country of Italy, how he overcame Totila and after him Teias, and
in 548, since Totila had decided not to defend the city. Belisarius was again recalled in 548,
when there was renewed danger that the conflict with Persia would flare up.
55 Wars viii.3.18—21. The Abasgi lived on the north-east coast of the Black Sea, between
the Caucasus and the sea; they were converted at some point in the 540s.
56 The Tetraxite Goths, who lived near the Sea of Azov (the Maiotic marsh), had peti¬
tioned Justinian for a new bishop in 548: Wars viii.4.9—12.
57 These events in fact belong in the fifth century, when the Goths, displaced by the
Huns, moved across the Danube and settled in the Balkans, sometimes serving the empire
as federate troops but on other occasions supporting themselves by pillage, until they
departed for Italy under Theoderic (Wars viii.5.13-14). It might wrongly be inferred from
Evagrius that the raids were launched while the Goths were still near the Sea of Azov.
58 Earthquakes of 551/2: lTarjviii.25.16-18.
222
EVAGRIUS
how Rome was captured for a fifth time. 59 Now those who accompanied
Narses say that he venerated the Divinity to such an extent with prayers
and other pious acts, honouring too, as is proper, the Virgin and
Mother of God, that she openly commanded him as to the moment
when he ought to fight, and that he was not to begin an engagement
before he received the sign from her. 60 There were other actions of
Narses which are worthy of great fame, his conquest of Buselinus and
Sindoald, and his acquisition in addition of most of the area as far as
Ocean; these are related by Agathias the rhetor, though this has not yet
reached us. 61
25 The following things are also recorded by the same Procopius: 62 that
when Chosroes realized that events in Libya and in Italy had turned out
favourably for the Roman dominion, he was roused to extraordinary
envy; and he made certain accusations against the Roman realm, saying
that the truce had been contravened and the agreed peace broken. And
first of all Justinian sent ambassadors to Chosroes, to persuade him not
59 Narses (PLRE III. 912-28, j.v. Narses 1) arrived in Italy in 552, and his campaigns
during the rest of the year are described by Procopius, Wars viii.26, 28-35; Totila was de¬
feated and killed at the battle of Busta Gallorum, and then Theia (PLRE III. 1224), Totila’s
successor as Gothic leader, at Mons Lactarius. The first capture of Rome, by Belisarius in
536 is recorded at iv.19 (see n. 51 above), the second and third captures, by Totila and then
Belisarius again, at iv.21 (n. 54 above). Totila recaptured Rome in January 550, and it
changed hands for the fifth time after Busta Gallorum.
60 The account of Narses’ piety was not derived from Procopius; the switch is indicated
by the reference to Narses’ companions (contra Allen, Evagrius 186). For other evidence
about Narses’ religious views and concerns, see PLRE III. 926-8.
61 Butilinus (PLRE III. 253^1, j. v. Butilinus 1) was leader of the army of Franks which
invaded Italy in 553 to support the Goths; after various successes, he was defeated at Capua
by Narses in 554 (Agathias, History ii.6-9). Sindual (PLRE III. 1154-5) became leader of
the Herul contingent in Italy in 553, and played a decisive part in Narses’ victory at Capua,
first by persuading his followers to participate in the battle in spite of the execution of one of
(heir number, and then through his personal bravery; in 566, the Heruls in Italy rebelled and
proclaimed Sindual king, but he was soon defeated and killed by Narses. The latter event
was not recorded by Agathias, whose History terminated in 559, and Evagrius has perhaps
conflated what he knew of Agathias’ account with a separate report of Sindual’s later revolt.
It is normal to place the date of composition of Agathias’ History in about 580, since
Agathias knew of the death of Khusro in 579, but did not mention that Maurice would
become emperor in 582 (e.g. PLRE III. 23-5); if this is correct, it suggests that the produc¬
tion and circulation of texts, at least secular texts, within the empire was not all that rapid,
since Evagrius was working more than a decade later.
62 There is no indication in Evagrius that he is now jumping back to the events of 540.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
223
to break the endless peace between them, nor to violate the agreements,
but that the disputes should be investigated and settled in some amicable
way. But he says that Chosroes, beside himself with the envy that
seethed within, accepted none of the good reasoning, |172] but invaded
the Roman land with a great army in the thirteenth year of Justinian’s
direction of the Roman empire. And he records how Chosroes besieged
and captured by siege the city of Sura, which lies on the banks of the
Euphrates, after he had given the appearance of agreeing various terms,
but acted quite differently to them with the most complete impiety, and
paid no attention to the agreement, becoming master of the city by
trickery rather than by war; and how he also burnt Beroe; and next too
his attack on Antioch, when Ephrem was bishop of the city but had aban¬
doned it since none of his objectives succeeded. 63 He is said to have saved
the church and all its surroundings, by adorning it with holy dedications
to be a ransom for it. 64
And he also records and movingly expounds the capture of the city of
Antiochus, which happened at the hands of the same Chosroes, and how
Chosroes destroyed everything by killing and burning; and how he
came to the neighbouring Seleucia and the suburb of Daphne, then too
Apamea, when Thomas, a man most able in word and action, directed
the ecclesiastical see there. 65 He wisely undertook, contrary to custom,
to join Chosroes as a spectator of the chariot contest in the hippodrome,
attending on and placating Chosroes in every way. And Chosroes asked
him if he wished to watch him in his own city; and he is said to have
stated truthfully that he had not the slightest pleasure in seeing Chosroes
in his own city. And they say that Chosroes was indeed amazed, justly
admiring the man’s truthfulness. 66
63 A summary of Wars ii.1-7, where the preliminaries to the resumption of war in the
East and the opening of Khusro’s invasion in 540 are reported; Ephrem’s objectives are
not entirely clear, but this probably refers to his plans to save Antioch from attack, which
were thwarted when an emissary from Justinian forbade the payment of ransoms to the
Persians and accused the bishop of treachery; Ephrem thereafter withdrew to Cilicia
(ffarjii.7.16-18).
64 Procopius (Wars ii.9.17 18) mentions that, when Khusro was issuing orders to burn
the city, he was persuaded to spare the church in return for all the wealth carried away from
it (hence its ransom); Evagrius has here expanded on the information in Procopius to assert
that Ephrem had deliberately left the treasures in the church.
65 A summary of Wars ii.8-11.
66 Procopius mentions the chariot racing (Wars ii.l 1.31 5), when Khusro intervened in
the race to ensure that the Green team won rather than the Blues, whom he knew Justinian
224
EVAGRIUS
26 And since we have reached this point of the narrative, I shall tell of
the miracle which occurred there, which is worthy of the present narra¬
tive. |173] When the sons of the Apameans learnt that the city of Antio-
chus had been destroyed by fire, 67 they implored the aforementioned
Thomas to bring forth and display, contrary to custom, the saving and
life-giving Wood of the Cross, so that for the last time they might see
and kiss the sole salvation of mankind and receive a passage to the other
life, since the precious Cross would convey them to the better estate.
Thomas in fact did this and brought out the life-giving Wood, after
announcing stated days for the display so that it would also be possible
for all those in the vicinity to assemble and enjoy the salvation from it.
Now those who brought me to light also attended along with the rest,
and brought me along (I was attending an elementary teacher). Then
when we were privileged to adore and kiss the precious Cross, Thomas
raised both hands and revealed the Wood of the Cross which wiped out
the ancient curse, parading around the whole of the sacred shrine as was
customary on the days appointed for adorations. A great mass of fire
followed Thomas as he moved, which gleamed but did not consume, so
that the whole place where he stood and revealed the precious Cross
appeared to be ablaze. And this happened not once, not twice, but very
often as the priest walked around the whole space there and the
assembled populace importuned Thomas to do this. This indeed prophe¬
sied for the Apameans the salvation that occurred. Accordingly an
image was set up in the roof of the church, which by its depiction made
these matters known to the ignorant; this was preserved down to the
attack of Adarmaanes and the Persians, but was burnt together with the
holy church of God there along with the whole city. And these events
happened thus. 68
supported; but Evagrius has derived the information about Bishop Thomas’ presence at the
games and his spirited quip from another source, presumably local tradition. The remains
of Apamea in the sixth century are gradually being revealed through the excavations direc¬
ted by J. and J. C. Baity.
67 For the periphrasis ‘sons of..cf. n. 15 above, and. i.20 with n. 175.
68 The miraculous display of the Cross is also reported by Procopius (Wars ii. 11.16-20),
though he implies that there was only a single display for the inhabitants of Apamea imme¬
diately before the arrival of Khusro’s army; Evagrius would have been aged four or five at
the time, and presumably had a vivid memory of the dramatic experience (though Proco¬
pius’ account, and perhaps also the picture in the church could jog this, if necessary). Apa-
mea’s fragment of the Cross was sufficiently famous for Justin II to demand its transfer to
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
225
But at his departure Chosroes contravened what had been agreed,
since it seemed right at the time, and did other things which accorded
with his unsteady and unstable character, |174| but which were quite
unsuitable for a rational man and still less for a king who keeps account
of what has been agreed. 69
27 The same Procopius also records what is narrated by men of old
concerning Edessa and Agbar, and that Christ wrote to Abgar, and then
that Chosroes settled down to another siege attack on the Edessenes,
with the intention of annulling what was rumoured by the faithful,
namely that Edessa would never come into enemy control: this is not
included in what was written to Agbar by Christ our God, as the enthu¬
siastic can grasp from the narratives of Eusebius son of Pamphilus, who
quoted the actual letter verbatim. But thus is it celebrated and believed
by the faithful, and it then received fulfilment, as faith brought about an
accomplishment of prophecy. 70 For after the attack on the city when
Chosroes effected innumerable assaults, and piled up a great mound so
Constantinople; after fierce local objections he had to settle for half, though the other half
was also removed to the capital after Adarmahan burnt the city in 573 (Menander fr. [17];
Michael the Syrian, x.l, II p. 285).
Granted that Khusro thoroughly pillaged Apamea, the allusion to the inhabitants’ salva¬
tion is optimistic; they were not, however, massacred or transported into exile.
69 According to Procopius (Wars ii.l 1.24-7), it was immediately on entering the city that
Khusro forgot the agreements under which he had been allowed into the city without a fight,
and ordered the bishop to collect all valuables within the city.
For other unstable royal figures, cf. Geiseric (ii.7, p. 54:24) and Zeno (iii.l); by contrast
Maurice had the personal stability to cope with external instability (vi.17).
70 The story of Abgar of Edessa occupies much of Wars ii.12, with the account of the
letter at 12.20-30. The earliest version of the letter is in Eusebius, EH i.13, which is described
as an exact translation from the Syriac: this promised Abgar that one of Christ’s disciples
would come to Edessa and cure his affliction (gout), but did not include the promise of the
city’s safety. Procopius, too, knew that the promise was a later addition, but suggested that
God felt an obligation to preserve the trust which believers placed in the alleged undertak¬
ing. For Procopius, the letter explained the citizens’ confidence in the face of Khusro’s
approach in 540; the Persian army first lost its way, and then Khusro’s face swelled up
when he eventually managed to approach the city; as a result, he was content to accept a
ransom of 200 pounds of gold (without starting a siege) and continue his journey back to
Persia.
The protecting letter is also mentioned in the context of Kavadh’s attack on the city in
503, when the sceptical Arab leader Numan also suffered from a swollen face, from which
he died (Joshua the Stylite ch. 58; cf. also ch. 5).
226
EVAGRIUS
that it even overtopped the city’s walls, and contrived innumerable other
devices, he made his withdrawal without any achievement. But I will tell
you what happened. 71
Chosroes instructed his forces to gather from whatever wood was
available a great quantity of timber for the siege. When this had been
collected even more quickly than the command, he disposed this in a
circle and placed the earth in the centre, and proceeded towards the city,
facing it. As he thus gradually enlarged it with timbers and earth and
approached the city, he raised it to such a height that it overreached the
wall, with the result that they could hurl missiles from a superior position
onto those on the wall risking their lives for the city. Now, when those
enduring the siege saw the mound approaching nearer the city like a
moving mountain and that the enemy were expecting to walk into the
city on foot, at dawn they contrived 1175] to construct a subterranean
channel opposite the mound (which the Romans call agesta ), and to
introduce fire from there, so that the timbers, when consumed by the
flames, might bring down the mound to the ground. 72 And the work was
completed, but when they applied the flame their plan failed, since the
fire did not have a passage from which it might receive air and get a hold
on the wood. So, when they came to complete despair, they brought the
divinely created image, which human hands had not made, the one that
Christ the God sent to Agbar when he yearned to see Him. Then, when
they brought the all-holy image into the channel they had created and
sprinkled it with water, they applied some to the pyre and the timbers.
And at once the divine power made a visitation to the faith of those who
had done this, and accomplished what had previously been impossible
for them: for at once the timbers caught fire and, being reduced to ashes
71 Evagrius now jumps to the siege of 544, described by Procopius in Wars ii.26-7; Eva-
grius has ignored the various negotiations between Khusro and the besieged in order to
focus attention on the siege mound and its miraculous destruction (the point of the whole
chapter).
72 The construction of the siege mound, which began on the eighth day of the siege, and
the Roman counter-measures, are described in greater detail by Procopius, Wars ii.26.23—
27.7; according to Procopius, the mound (which he also calls an agesta, i.e. agger) began as a
square construction, which was then extended towards the city in spite of sallies and bom¬
bardments by the defenders. The first Roman mine was detected by the attackers, but exca¬
vation of a lower chamber was successful; the initial firing only burnt a part of the mound,
and the Romans had to feed extra supplies of wood into the chamber to keep the fire blazing.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
227
quicker than word, they imparted it to what was above as the fire took
over everywhere. 73
And when those oppressed by the siege saw the smoke billowing
up, they devised the following stratagem: bringing small flasks and
filling them with sulphur together with hemp and other easily combus¬
tible materials, they catapulted them down onto the so-called agesta;
these emitted smoke, since the fire was ignited by the force of the
projection, and caused the smoke which was coming up from the
mound to pass unnoticed. Thus all those who did not know supposed
that the smoke came rather from the flasks, and not from elsewhere.
And so on the third day after this, little tongues of fire were seen
being emitted from the earth, and then the Persians fighting on the
mound understood what sort of trouble they were in. But Chosroes,
as if opposing the divine power, attempted to quench the pyre by
directing against it the water conduits which were outside the city.
But it received the water as if it were oil, rather, or sulphur, or one
of the normally inflammable materials, and grew greater |176] until it
brought down the whole mound and burnt the agesta completely to
73 Procopius does not mention the miracle of the icon of Christ, and Evagrius indeed is
the first source to refer to this famous acheiropoietos image (‘not made by human hands’),
the Mandylion of Edessa: for discussion, see Averil Cameron, ‘Sceptic’, ‘Mandylion’.
Cameron argued that Procopius’ silence indicates that the story of the icon’s miraculous
intervention was subsequently grafted onto the primary account of the city’s heroic resis¬
tance; Allen (Evagrius 189) regarded the circumstantial detail in Evagrius as an indication
of a written or eye-witness source. There is no evidence to permit this disagreement to be
resolved, but it is worth noting that there is a comparable story in Theodoret (EH v.21)
about problems in firing a trench under a temple at Apamea; these were overcome when
the bishop gave the workman some holy water which had been placed on the altar in
church and told him to sprinkle it on the wood he was trying to light.
Procopius does record that there were problems at Edessa in trying to get the timber in the
mine to ignite the mound, and it is not impossible that every holy object in the city was
exploited to assist the process. If an icon was brought to bless the efforts of the defenders
against the mound, which, interestingly, Procopius introduces as a lophos cheiropoietos,
literally ‘a mound made by human hands’, or ‘a man-made structure’ ( Wars ii.26.23), the
achievement perhaps subsequently gave the successful image its acheiropoietos reputation.
Evagrius knew Theodoret’s History, and would have appreciated the conceit of the human
structure in Procopius being unmade by the unhuman; he might have exploited Theodoret
to improve the account of events at Edessa, and so perhaps deserves some credit for the
establishment of the reputation of the Mandylion.
For discussion of Chrysostomides’ rejection of Evagrius’ testimony, which she regards as
an invention of the late eighth century, see Appendix II.
228
EVAGRIUS
ashes. 74 And so then Chosroes, having failed in all his hopes and
realizing through these deeds that he had incurred great shame for
having supposed that he would prevail over the God who is revered
by us, made his departure to his own parts ingloriously. 75
28 What was done by Chosroes on another occasion against the city of
the Sergiopolitans will also be told, since it is both remarkable and truly
appropriate for its memory to be preserved for ever. Chosroes
approached this city too, eager to besiege it. And so when he made an
attempt on the walls, discussions concerning the saving of the city were
held between the two parties, and they made an agreement that the
sacred treasures should be a ransom for the city; among these was
included also a cross which had been sent by Justinian and Theodora.
When these things had been carried off, Chosroes asked the priest and
the Persians who had been sent with him whether there was anything
else. One of those who is not in the habit of telling the truth said to Chos¬
roes that there were other treasures as well, which had been hidden away
by the citizens, who were few in number. Although from the offerings
there had been left no treasure, either of gold or of silver, there was one
of a more efficacious substance that was dedicated once and for all to
God, namely the all-holy relics of the victorious martyr Sergius which
lay in one of the oblong coffins which is covered in silver. But when Chos¬
roes, convinced by this, released his whole army on the city, suddenly
myriad shields appeared on the circuit wall to defend the city; on seeing
this those sent by Chosroes turned back, astounded at the number and
describing the armament. When Chosroes learnt, on enquiring further,
that extremely few people remained in the city, and they were very old or
very young since those in the bloom of youth had departed, he realized
that the miracle came from the martyr; and in fear and amazement
74 Evagrius returns to Procopius for the account of the destruction of the mound (Wars
ii.27.8-17), though adding the reference to the third day and that Khusro diverted the city
aqueducts against the fire. In Procopius the Persians pour on water, but this merely served
to stimulate the bitumen and sulphur inside the mound (ii.27.14); Evagrius has adapted this,
perhaps influenced by the parallel story in Theodoret, so that the water becomes like oil in
assisting the combustion.
75 Procopius, Wars ii.27.28 46, describes three further Persian assaults, of which two
came close to penetrating the defences, before Khusro agreed to withdraw in return for a
payment of 500 pounds of gold; Evagrius chose to highlight the divinely assisted destruction
of the mound as the culmination of the siege.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
229
at the faith of the Christians he retired to his own land. 76 |177| They
say that at his final breath he indeed was honoured with the sacred
rebirth. 77
29 I will also give a description concerning the disease which struck and
has remained strong and spread over the whole earth in this its 52nd
year, a thing never before reported. For, two years after the city of Antio-
chus was captured by the Persians, a pestilent affliction took up resi¬
dence, in some respects comparable to that related by Thucydides but in
others very different. It was said, and still is now, to have begun from
Ethiopia. 78 In turn it overran the whole universe, leaving none among
76 For comprehensive discussion of the development of the cult of Sergius, the martyr
shrines and the site of Sergiopolis (Resafa) in general, see Elizabeth Fowden, Plain ch. 3; its
location at the intersection of several long-distance routes was of considerable economic
and strategic significance, and the devotion of the Ghassanid Arabs to Sergius increased
its importance further. Khusro’s attack on Sergiopolis in 542 is described by Procopius,
Wars ii.20.5 16: Candidus, the city’s bishop, had agreed to ransom the captives from Sura
in 540, but had been unable to provide the money; he now told Khusro to take the treasures
from Sergius’ shrine, but these proved insufficient to satisfy the king so that an army was
sent to capture Sergiopolis; although there were only 200 soldiers inside the city, the Per¬
sians were unable to penetrate the defences and had to abandon the attack when their
water ran out. Discussion of defences in Whitby, ‘Notes’ 102-5, and for the water supply
see also Elizabeth Fowden, Plain 71-3, 94-5.
Evagrius’ account is rather different, and clearly does not depend on Procopius; the
central point of his story is the vision of the supernatural defenders, a miracle which can be
paralleled from other city-protecting saints, e.g. Demetrius of Thessalonica (Miracula ii.3,
§222), or Alexander of Drizipera (Theophylact vi.5.6-7).
According to Procopius, Khusro continued his invasion after leaving Sergiopolis, with
the intention of ravaging Palestine, but was persuaded to retire when Belisarius threatened
his line of retreat (Wars ii.21).
77 Khusro’s high regard for the Christian faith is described by John of Ephesus (EH
vi.20; cf. also Sebeos 2); John of Nikiu records that late in life he was baptized at a bath
house (ch. 95.23-5). For Khusro IPs interest in Christianity, see vi.18 with n. 63 below.
78 Bubonic plague first appeared in the empire in Egypt in autumn 541, and in the follow¬
ing year spread to the Near East and Constantinople; Evagrius concluded his history in
593/4 (vi.22), the 52nd year from 542. Procopius (Wars ii.22-3) described at length the
impact of the plague, especially at Constantinople, where the enormous problem of the dis¬
posal of corpses attracted his attention, as it did that of John of Ephesus (EH, fragments of
part ii: a summary of John’s information is most readily available in Conrad, ‘Plague’ 144-
7), but Evagrius’ account was based on his own personal experience (see below). The plague
continued to recur for about two centuries, until a final major attack in 747.
The plague at Athens in 430 BC was described by Thucydides ii.47-54; his account served
as a literary model for Procopius so that resemblances between the afflictions, and more
230
EVAGRIUS
men without some experience of the disease. And whereas some cities
were stricken to such an extent that they were completely emptied of
inhabitants, there were parts where the misfortune touched more lightly
and moved on. And neither did it strike according to a fixed interval,
nor having struck did it depart in the same manner: but it took hold of
some places at the beginning of winter, others while spring was in full
swing, others in the summer time, and in some places even when
autumn was advancing. 79 And there were places where it alfected one
part of the city but kept clear of the other parts, and often one could see
in a city that was not diseased certain households that were comprehen¬
sively destroyed. And there are places where, although one or two house¬
holds were destroyed, the rest of the city has remained unaffected; but as
we have recognized from precise investigation, the households which
remained unaffected have been the only ones to suffer in the following
year. 80 But what is more extraordinary than everything is that if it
happened that inhabitants of afflicted cities were living somewhere else
where the misfortune had not struck, those people alone caught the
especially in the reactions of the stricken population, might creep into the tradition. The
Athenian plague, however, was not bubonic (and indeed its identity is much disputed).
Procopius ( Wars ii.22.6) says that the plague began in Pelusium in Egypt. Allen, Evagrius
190, suggests that the connection with Ethiopia reflects traditional prejudice about the
origins of diseases, but this may be too sceptical; Zinsser, Rats 145, whom Allen cites in
support, merely refers to ‘a sort of ancient and traditional suspicion’, without documenta¬
tion. As parallels for a southern origin, Dio lxxvi.13.1 records that in 200 Septimius Severus
was prevented from crossing from Egypt to Ethiopia by plague; Zonaras xii.21 (vol. II.
590:9-13) describes a plague which spread from Ethiopia to the whole empire in the 250s.
For discussion of Central/East Africa as one of the major natural reservoirs of plague in the
ancient world, and of the factors which contributed to its eruption in the 540s, see Keys,
Catastrophe ch. 2.
There is a large literature on the sixth-century plague: in addition to Conrad. ‘Plague’ and
Keys, Catastrophe, see Allen, ‘Plague’, Evagrius 190—4; Sallares, Ecology 263-71: Whitby,
‘Recruitment’ 93-9.
79 Evagrius may here be tacitly correcting Procopius, who said that the plague seemed
to move by fixed arrangement, and to remain for a specified time in each region ( Wars
ii.22.7). The flea which carries bubonic plague is most active in warm and humid condi¬
tions, so that in the Mediterranean plague tends to be most virulent in summer (Sallares,
Ecology 270).
80 Cf. Procopius, Wars ii.22.8, for the plague returning to places which it had only lightly
touched first time round.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
231
misfortune - namely those people from cities that had been overcome
who were resident in the unaffected cities. 81
And often this occurred to cities and other places in the rotations of
the cycles that are called indictions. But an almost complete extermina¬
tion |178| struck mankind especially in the first or second year of the
fifteen-year cycle. This indeed befell me, who has composed these
things - for I decided to interweave my own affairs also into the narra¬
tive, attaching appropriate matters where appropriate. And so at the
outset of this great misfortune I was affected by what are called
buboes while I was still attending the elementary teacher, but in the
various subsequent visitations of these great misfortunes I lost many
of my offspring and my wife and other relatives, and numerous servants
and estate dwellers, as if the indictional cycles divided out the misfor¬
tunes for me. Thus as I write this, while in the 58th year of my life, not
more than two years previously while for the fourth time now the
misfortune struck Antioch, when the fourth cycle from its outset had
elapsed, I lost a daughter and the son she had produced, quite apart
from the earlier losses. 82
The misfortune was composed of different ailments. For in some it
began with the head, making eyes bloodshot and face swollen, went
down to the throat, and dispatched the victim from among men. In
others a flux of the stomach occurred. While in some buboes swelled
up, and thereafter violent fevers; and on the second or third day they
died, with intellect and bodily constitution the same as those who had
suffered nothing. Others became demented and put aside life. And
indeed carbuncles sprang up and obliterated men. And there are cases
81 There is no confirmation for this rather surprising assertion, which is not in Proco¬
pius; the phenomenon would support Evagrius’ belief that the plague was under divine
control.
82 Recurrences of bubonic plague of varying intensity were to be expected as new gen¬
erations became accessible to the disease. In the century after its first outbreak the plague
returned, on average, about once every 14 years (evidence usefully collected in Conrad,
‘Plague’ 149-51), which is surprisingly close to Evagrius’ correlation with the indictional
cycle. There is, however, little to support his contention that the first two years of each
cycle were the most at risk, since the plague first struck in a fifth indiction (541 12) and the
fourth occurrence at Antioch was in a tenth indiction (591 /2); counting inclusively, the most
recent episode was in the fourth indiction cycle (537-52; 552-67; 567-82; 582-97) from the
first outbreak. Evagrius will have been about six when he caught the plague; like the
emperor Justinian he was one of the fortunate survivors.
232
EVAGRIUS
where men were afflicted once or twice and escaped, but perished when
afflicted again. 83
And the ways in which it was passed on were various and unaccoun¬
table. 84 For some were destroyed merely by being and living together,
others too merely by touching, others again when inside their bed¬
chamber, and others in |179] the public square. And some who have fled
from diseased cities have remained unaffected, while passing on the
disease to those who were not sick. Others have not caught it at all, even
though they associated with many who were sick, and touched many
not only who were sick, but even after their death. Others who were
indeed eager to perish because of the utter destruction of their children
or household, and for this reason made a point of keeping company
with the sick, nevertheless were not afflicted, as if the disease was
contending against their wish. So then, as I have said, this misfortune
has been prevalent up to the present for 52 years, surpassing all previous
ones. For Philostratus is amazed that the plague in his time prevailed
for fifteen years. 85 And what will follow is unclear, since it moves to the
place where God will ordain, since He knows both the causes and where
they lead. But I will return to my point of departure, and will tell the rest
of the events under Justinian.
30 Justinian was insatiable for money and was so extraordinarily enam¬
oured of the possessions of others that he even sold all his subjects for
gold, to those who administer the offices, and who collect taxes, and
who without any reason wish to stitch together plots against men.
Many, indeed innumerable, men of substantial property he deprived of
all their possessions, painting on excuses without excuse. If even a prosti¬
tute, casting envious eyes, invented some relationship or intercourse with
someone, immediately all legal matters were set aside and by taking
83 Procopius describes the symptoms and course of the disease at greater length (Wars
ii.22.10-39), emphasizing the prevalence of bubonic swellings and mentioning the charac¬
teristic black pustules of the plague. Evagrius’ evidence suggests that Ihe plague, although
predominantly bubonic, also had septicaemic and pneumonic strains, which would have
caused death quite rapidly and without Ihe tell-tale buboes.
84 Cf. Procopius, Wars ii.22.33^4, for the causes of the disease being unfathomable for
human reasoning.
85 This is probably a reference to the Philostratus who composed the Life of Apollonius
and Lives of the Sophists in the late second or early third century; he was presumably refer¬
ring to the epidemic which swept the empire during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, from 166/
7 onwards.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
233
Justinian as her companion in the criminal gain she transferred to herself
the entire wealth of the maliciously accused man. 86 But he was also
unstinting with his money: as a result he everywhere raised up magnifi¬
cent holy churches and other pious houses for the care of men and
women, both the very young |180] and very old, and those who were
troubled by various diseases; and he allocated great revenues, from
which these had to support themselves. And he did a myriad other
things which are pious and pleasing to God, provided that those who
accomplish these should carry them out from their own resources and
bring their actions to fruition in a pure manner. 87
31 And in the city of Constantine he also set up many shrines to the divi¬
nity and to the saints which were beautifully elaborated. 88 But there was
one great and incomparable object that he built, such as has never
before been reported, the largest ecclesiastical sanctuary, impressive
and famous and surpassing the power of speech. I will attempt, as far as
is in my power, to delineate the precinct. 89 The shrine of the temple has
86 Justinian’s insatiable greed is one of the main themes of Procopius’ Secret History,
e.g. 8.9-11, 11.3-4, 11.40-12.13, 19.1-12 (robbery of subjects by various devices, with the
Nika Riot, in particular, being exploited against men of property); 13.21-3,14.7-23 (manip¬
ulation of laws); 20-2 (corrupt officials). There is no evidence, however, that Evagrius knew
the Secret History (contra Jeep, ‘Quellenuntersuchungen’ 161), and these allegations were
simply part of the common criticism of the Justinianic regime; cf. John Lydus, De Mag.
iii.68 70 for the unpopularity of John the Cappadocian’s exactions, which contributed to
the outbreak of the Nika Riot. Cf. the greed of Justin II (v. 1, pp. 195:20-196:1), and contrast
the praise of the generosity of Martian (ii.l, p. 38:10-13) and Tiberius (v.13, p. 209:14-26).
The rhetorical word-play in this chapter is characteristic of such analyses of imperial quali¬
ties (cf. also iii.l on Zeno’s faults).
87 Justinian’s construction of numerous churches and other religious buildings (e.g. the
Hospice of Samson at Constantinople) occupies a major part of Procopius’ panegyrical
Buildings. In the Secret History there is criticism of Justinian’s extravagance, but mainly
with regard to his generous payments to foreigners in the unrealized hope of maintaining
peace; expenditure on building works is only mentioned twice (11.3; 26.23), and on each
occasion the target is the cost of senseless buildings constructed over the sea. Evagrius ac¬
knowledges Justinian’s achievements as a builder but also denies him full credit, especially
in the two-edged final sentence.
88 For descriptions, see Procopius, Buildings i.l.
89 The Church of S. Sophia had been one of the casualties of the Nika Riot, and Justi¬
nian moved quickly to reconstruct it as a demonstration of his respect for God and the
security of his imperial power. The new building was dedicated in 537, but the dome was
cracked in the earthquake of 557 and partially collapsed in 558, while repairs were being
attempted; the dome was rebuilt to a slightly different design, being rather taller than the
234
EVAGRIUS
a dome supported on four arches, raised up to such a great height that
for those gazing from below the terminus of the hemisphere is hard to
attain, 90 while those who are up above would never attempt, even if
they were exceptionally daring, to lean over and cast their eyes towards
the ground. The arches are raised up clear from the foundations to the
roof covering. 91 And both on the right and to the left columns made of
Thessalian marble are arrayed in them, and these support galleries
which have other similar columns, providing for those who want to
look down on the rituals. 92 It is from there that the empress, when she
is present at the festivals, observes the celebration of the mysteries.
The arches towards the rising and setting sun have thus been left
open, so that there is no impediment to the wonder of such an
enormous magnitude. Underneath the aforementioned galleries there
original so that the lateral thrust was reduced, and the reconstructed building was ready for
rededication at Christmas 562 (see Mary Whitby, ‘Occasion’). It is this reconstruction
which Evagrius describes (as shown by his figure for the height of the dome).
Procopius, Buildings i.l, described the building and some of the construction problems;
Evagrius’ account is not absolutely clear, partly because he attempts to paint a narrative
picture with language suitable for the grandeur of his theme, partly perhaps because his
knowledge of the church was based on a few visits in 588 to supplement his youthful
acquaintance in the 550s (though he did also secure reasonably accurate details of its dimen¬
sions, see n. 95 below).
90 I.e. they cannot make out easily where the apex of the dome is. Mango (Art 79) trans¬
lates this as being hard ‘to comprehend how the cupola was completed’, but the parallel
clauses of the problems facing those looking up and down suggest that it is just the distance
that is at issue.
91 ‘Clear’, literally ‘empty’. Ksvai. Evagrius here makes a general statement about all
four arches, which he then subdivides into the northern and southern, where columns
support galleries, and the eastern and western arches, which are completely open. This
makes the sense of this sentence difficult, since two of the arches cannot strictly be described
as ‘empty’: the key point is, perhaps, that all four arches rested entirely on the massive
corner piers, since the galleries under the north and south arches did not contribute to
their structural support; the north and south arches were ‘open’ in the sense that the gal¬
leries did not have a solid facade facing into the church, and were topped by a large hemi¬
spherical window area immediately under the apex of the arch.
92 This refers to the two tiers of columns of green Thessalian marble on the north and
south sides of the church: the massive lower tier supported the gallery, and the rather
smaller second tier which supported the gallery roof and defined the openings through
which those in the gallery could watch proceedings below.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
235
are colonnades which round off this great achievement with columns and
small arches. 93
But so that the marvel of its construction may be clearer, I have
decided to include the dimensions of its length, breadth and height as
well as the span and height of its arches. 94 These are as follows: now the
length from the door opposite the sacred apse where the |181| bloodless
sacrifice is celebrated as far as the apse itself is 190 feet, while the
breadth north to south is 115 feet, and the drop from the centre of the
dome to the foundations is 180 feet; as for the arches the breadth of each
is [...] feet, while the length from east to west is 260 feet; the width of
the open area between them is 75 feet. 95 Towards the setting sun there
are also two other splendid colonnades, and on all sides open air courts
are beautifully executed. 96 The shrine of the Holy Apostles, which does
not willingly grant precedence to any other building, was also con¬
structed by him: in it the emperors and the clergy receive due burial. 97
And so concerning these and similar matters this is about enough.
93 The crucial word in this sentence is £V£p0s, ‘underneath’, which indicates that Eva-
grius is dealing with the ground floor (as opposed to colonnades in the galleries, as Mango,
Art 80).
94 Evagrius now switches from an obscure verbal picture to a more prosaic, but still pro¬
blematic, list of figures.
95 For discussion of the dimensions, see Mango, Art 80 n. 116. The length of 190 feet
from west door to apse can only refer to the distance as far as the opening of the two
exedrae on either side of the apse, since the overall length from west door to the end of the
apse is 260 feet (1 Roman foot = 0.309 metre); it is confusing that this overall figure is in¬
cluded within the section devoted to the arches, and if one were to be charitable to Evagrius
one might suspect some textual corruption at this point. The breadth of the nave from north
to south colonnade is only 105 feet, and Evagrius is either mistaken or his figure has been
corrupted; the figure for the height of the dome is accurate. The figure for the breadth of the
arches has dropped out of the text (there is space for about eight letters), but might have
been 100; the open area of 75 feet denotes the east-west space between the piers above
which the galleries are located.
96 At the west end of the church stood the narthex and exonarthex, and beyond them a
large atrium.
97 Justinian’s reconstruction of the Holy Apostles is described by Procopius, Buildings
i.4.9 18, who noted that in certain respects it resembled S. Sophia in design, but was inferior
in size: this is the point of Evagrius’ reference to it not willingly granting precedence to other
buildings, since its status as the second church of the capital made it superior to everything
else (Festugiere’s interpretation, 394, that the building does not want to give primacy to any
particular Apostle, is untenable). For its use as an imperial and patriarchal mausoleum, see
Grierson, ‘Tombs’.
236
EVAGRIUS
32 Justinian possessed another quality which surpassed the character
of any beast - whether this was a defect of nature, or the product of
cowardice and fear, I am unable to say; it took its origin from the
popular riot, the Nika. 98 For he appeared to be so utterly attached to
one of the factions, namely the Blues, that they even carried out
murders of their opponents in broad daylight and in the city centre;
not only did they not fear penalties, but they were even granted
rewards, so that many men therefore became assassins. They were also
able to attack houses and plunder the valuables stored inside and to
sell people their personal safety, and if any of the officials attempted
to prevent this he found his own safety in danger. 99 As a result, for
example, one who had charge of the Eastern realm, because he had
disciplined some of the rioters with whips, was himself lacerated with
whips and paraded about in the very centre of the city. 100 And as for
Callinicus, the governor of the Cilicians, because he had delivered to
the penalties of the laws two Cilician assassins, Paul and Faustinus,
who had jointly attacked him and wanted to do away with him, |182|
he was impaled and paid this penalty for a correct understanding and
the laws. 101 Hence those of the other faction, abandoning their homes,
were welcomed by no man, but rather were driven off from everywhere
98 Justinian’s enthusiastic patronage for the Blues in fact long antedated the Nika Riot
in January 532 (for which see, iv. 13), and he seems to have tolerated, if not encouraged, a
reign of terror under Justin I in order to intimidate possible rivals for the succession. In 527
he had issued an edict which attempted to restore peace in the cities (Malalas 422:15-21).
The massive casualties of the Nika Riot produced a period of relative calm in Constantino¬
ple, but the last decade of Justinian’s reign was troubled by several disturbances.
For imperial cowardice, cf. criticisms of Zeno: iii.3, p. 100:15-19, and Justin II: vi. p. 196:1.
99 Justinian’s patronage of the Blue faction, and the violent behaviour he was prepared
to tolerate, are described at Procopius, Secret History 7. His bias is reflected in the messages
sent to the factions in 565 by Justin II, to the Blues that Justinian was dead, and to the
Greens that he was still alive (Theophanes 243:4—9).
100 This incident involving a comes Orientis (rather than a praetorian prefect of the
East, as Festugiere 394) is not otherwise recorded, perhaps because it occurred in Antioch
whereas almost all our information on the factions under Justinian is focused on Constan¬
tinople. In a riot at Antioch under Anastasius in 507, the Greens disembowelled the praefec-
tus vigilum and dragged his corpse around the city, while the comes Orientis was forced to
flee for his life (Malalas 395:20-398:4).
101 Callinicus, governor of Second Cilicia: PLRE III. 260, s.v. Callinicus 1. Procopius,
Secret History 17.2-4, blamed Theodora for the revenge, which Justinian pretended to
lament (though he still confiscated Callinicus’ property).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
237
like a pollution; 102 they lay in wait for travellers, committing robberies
and murders so that everywhere was filled with untimely deaths and
plundering and other crimes. But there were times when he changed to
the opposite and dealt with them, handing over to the laws those whom
he had permitted to commit outrages like those of barbarians in the
cities. 103 To speak in great detail about these matters will take too much
space and time; but these are sufficient as testimony for the remainder
as well.
33 At that moment of time there were divinely inspired men and workers
of great signs in many parts of the earth, though their fame has shone
forth everywhere. Barsanuphius, who was an Egyptian by race, so
pursued the fleshless life in the flesh at a certain monastery near the
town of Gaza that he has worked miracles which surpass recollection. 104
He is even believed still to be alive, confined in a little room, even
though for 50 years and more he has neither been seen by anyone nor
partaken of anything of this world. Eustochius, the prelate of Jerusalem,
did not believe this, but when he decided to dig through into the little
room where the man of God was confined, fire blazed forth and almost
consumed all who were there. 105
102 This overstates the isolation of the Greens, since they still had their own patrons,
such as John the Cappadocian (John Lydus, De Mag. iii.62). The Greens, however, were
victims of discrimination, and Malalas records the harsh punishments inflicted by the
prefect Julian in 565 because of their murders, highway robberies, brigandage and piracy
(Malalas, Exc. delnsid. fr. 51, pp. 175:29-176:17).
103 There are various references to occasions when members of both factions were pun¬
ished (e.g. Malalas 491:15-17), and after a race meeting attended by Persian ambassadors
was disrupted by hostile chanting, Justinian had the Blues singled out for punishment
(Malalas 488:6-14).
104 The monk Barsanuphius is known as the author of a work against the Origenist
views which gained ground in Palestine in the 530s and 540s, and was the source, with his
monastic companion J ohn, for a collection of Questions and Answers which provided advice
on a wide range of subjects to other monks and laymen.
105 Barsanuphius gave advice about the plague of 542 (Correspondance 569; cf. n. 115
below), but fell silent after the death of his companion John; if John died in 542/3, there is
just room for a half century of immurement before the date of Evagrius’ composition. There
is a different version of this story in the Questions and Answers of Barsanuphius ( Correspon¬
dance 125): monks in the monastery where Barsanuphius resided believed that Abbot
Seridus had invented the holy man as a means of validating his rules, at which the old man
emerged from his cell for the only time in his life and silently washed the monks’ feet.
Eustochius was patriarch of Jerusalem from 552 to 563/4. For analogous incredulity, cf.
238
EVAGRIUS
34 Now in Emesa there lived Symeon, a man who had shed the robe of
vanity to such an extent that to those who did not know he even
appeared to be demented, although he was indeed filled with all sacred
wisdom and grace. 106 This Symeon lived for the most part by himself,
|183] not allowing anyone at all an opportunity to know when and
how he propitiated the Divinity, nor when he held fasts or partook of
food by himself. But there were times indeed when, while frequenting
the main streets, 107 he appeared to have been estranged from normality,
and to be completely devoid of sense and intelligence; and sometimes
even, on entering a tavern, he would consume the available breads and
foods when he was hungry. But if anyone bowed his head to him in
reverence, he left the place in rage and haste, fearing that his special
virtue might be discovered by the multitude.
And such was Symeon’s public behaviour. But he had certain
acquaintances among whom he used to associate without any pretence
at all. Now one of his acquaintances had a servant-girl, who had been
debauched by someone and become pregnant. When she was compelled
by her masters to declare who had done this, she said that Symeon had
secretly had intercourse with her and that she was pregnant by him,
and would swear on oath that this was truly so should it be necessary
indeed to convict him. When Symeon heard this, he concurred, saying
that he bore that fallible phenomenon flesh. And when this had
become common knowledge and Symeon, so it seemed, incurred great
shame, he withdrew himself and pretended to be abashed. And so
when the appointed day came for the pregnant woman, and the usual
Emperor Maurice’s investigation of the miraculous effusion of S. Euphemia (Theophylact
viii. 14.6-9). A sudden blaze of fire is a regular phenomenon when holy objects or people are
threatened by an unwelcome approach: Miracula of S. Demetrius i.51-3, Maurice is unable
to obtain a relic of the saint; Theodoret, EH iii.20.4 8, Jewish efforts to dig foundations for
Ihe reconstruction of the Temple under Julian are stopped; Chronicle of Edessa p. 9, Ana-
stasius is prevented from removing the acta of Chalcedon from the tomb of Euphemia;
other references to holy fire in Festugiere 396 n. 82.
106 Symeon is an exemplar of the category of Holy Fools, saloi, which Evagrius had
described in general terms in i.21 (probably using Symeon as his model); for discussion of
Ihe phenomenon, see Ryden, ‘Fool’. There is an extended Life of Symeon by Leontius of
Neapolis, composed in the mid-seventh century, though Leontius has postdated Symeon’s
activities by about 40 years (on this, see Mango, ‘Leontius’ 26-30; Krueger, Symeon).
107 Festugiere (396 with n. 83) translates as 'in the public street while doing his shop¬
ping’, but the sense is probably less precise.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
239
things were in place, the labour produced violent, great and intolerable
pain, and brought the woman into extreme danger, but the birth in no
way advanced. So when they besought Symeon to pray - he had delib¬
erately come along - he said openly that the woman would not give
birth until she said who it was who had sired the pregnancy. When she
had done this and revealed the true father, immediately the infant
leapt forth, the truth acting as midwife. 108
This man was once seen to have gone into a certain prostitute’s room,
|184] and, after shutting the door, he spent a long time alone with her. So
when he opened the door, departed and left, looking everywhere lest
anyone should see, suspicion reached such a pitch that the onlookers
brought the woman, and enquired what was the reason for Symeon to
go in to her and why the great period of time. But she swore that this
was the third day since she had tasted anything but water for want of
necessities, and that he brought delicacies, bread and ajar of wine; after
closing the door he had brought up a table and dined her, bidding her
take her fill of the meal until she was sufficiently fattened up after the
abstinence from food. 109 And she produced the remains of what had
been brought.
But, there is another story that when the tremor which flattened
Phoenicia Maritima was at hand, the one in which the cities of Beirut
and Byblus and Tripolis suffered particularly, he raised aloft a whip in
his hand and struck most of the columns in the forum, shouting:
‘Stand, you can dance.’ Accordingly, since nothing of that man was
without purpose, the bystanders made a mental note of which
columns he had passed by without striking. Not long after they did
indeed fall down, becoming the victim of the earthquakes. 110 There
108 Cf. Palladius, Lausiac History 70, for a similar story where a woman is in labour for
a week before admitting a false accusation of paternity against a Holy Man. Such an accu¬
sation by a prostitute was used to remove Eustathius of Antioch from his see in 327 (Theo-
doret EH i.21; cf. also ii.9), though Allen, ‘Use’ 274, rejects that story as a topos.
109 The verb in this clause may well be corrupt. Christophorson (cited in Bidez-
Parmentier’s apparatus ) suggested 7n£a0eiaav for mocvOsicrav, i.e. ‘because she had been
sufficiently afflicted by’. Cf. Pratum Spirituale 136 for a similar story.
110 This refers to Ihe great earthquake which devastated the Levant and terminated the
prosperity of Beirut in 551. Cf. the Life of Symeon Stylites the Younger chs. 104—5 for a
prediction of the devastation by this earthquake, and Evagrius iv.7 for Zosimas having mir¬
aculous knowledge of the 527 quake that struck Antioch (and the need to make a mental
note). Cf. Pratum Spirituale 50 for a prediction by the recluse Gregory of an earthquake in
Palestine.
240
EVAGRIUS
were many other things which he did that require indeed a separate
treatment. 111
35 At that time there was also Thomas, who pursued this life in Coele
Syria. He came to the city of Antiochus to collect his monastery’s
annual stipend, which was allocated from the church here. 112 Anastasius,
the steward of the church, struck him over the head with his hand since he
was constantly pestering him; when those present showed anger, he said
that neither would he receive nor Anastasius give again. 113 And both
things came to pass, |185] since one day later Anastasius terminated his
life, while Thomas on his return journey migrated to the ageless life in
the hospice for the sick in the suburb of Daphne. They placed his corpse
in the tombs of the foreigners. But after a first and then a second had
both been deposited, his body was found on top of both of them, a very
great miracle of God, Who proclaimed him even after death (for they
had been thrust aside and dispatched far away); in amazement at the
holy man they reported this to Ephrem. 114 And his all-holy corpse was
transported to the city of Antiochus with public celebration and proces¬
sion, and received honours in the cemetery after terminating by its trans¬
lation the current visitation of the disease of plague. Down to our time
the sons of the Antiochenes magnificently celebrate the annual festival
111 Krueger, Symeon ch. 2, argued that Leontius, the seventh-century biographer of
Symeon, invented his hagiography on the basis of the information in Evagrius; Mango,
‘Leontios’ 30, suggested that he had access to a written source in the form of a paterikon, a
collection of disconnected anecdotes, which was probably also available to Evagrius.
112 The burial of Thomas, the apocrisarius (an official representative, a suitable position
for someone who collected the monastery’s annual stipend) of a monastery near Apamea, is
also recorded in Pratum Spirituale 88, and referred to in the Life of Martha (the mother of
Symeon the Younger) chs. 24, 28.
113 This prediction is not otherwise attested.
114 According to Pratum Spirituale 88. Thomas died at the Church of S. Euphemia at
Daphne; the day after his burial in the foreigners’ grave, the clergy attempted to bury a
woman’s corpse in the same tomb, but her corpse was flung out, and the same process
happened on the following day; the clergy then reported the occurrence to Patriarch
Domninus of Antioch (545-59), who had the corpse translated to the Antioch cemetery
and a small chapel built for it. Cf. Life of John the Almsgiver ch. 45 for a similar miracle.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
241
for him. 115 But let us transfer the course of the account to the next
subject.
36 After Anthimus had been expelled from the see of the queen of cities,
as I have said, Epiphanius succeeded to the bishopric 116 and in turn
after Epiphanius, Menas, under whom there also occurred a miracle
worthy of great account. Ancient custom in the imperial city has it that
when a substantial quantity of the holy parts of the immaculate body of
Christ our God remain over, uncorrupted boys are sent for from among
those who attend an elementary teacher, and that they eat these. On one
occasion the son of a glass-worker, a Jew by belief, was assembled with
the boys. When his parents enquired the reason for his lateness, he
declared what had happened, and what it was that he had eaten up,
together with the other boys. And his father, in fury and wrath, placed
the boy in the furnace of coals where he shaped the glass, and set light to
it. While looking for the boy but unable to find him, the mother went all
over the city, wailing and shrieking piercingly. And on the third day,
when standing by the door of her husband’s workshop, she called to the
boy by name, though convulsed with lamentations. And he, recognizing
the voice of his mother, answered her back from the furnace. And she,
on breaking through the doors [186] and going inside, saw the boy
standing in the midst of the coals, but the fire was not touching him.
When he was asked how he had remained unharmed, he said that a
woman wearing a purple robe had visited him frequently and proffered
water, and with this he had quenched the adjacent coals; and that she
fed him whenever he was hungry. When this was reported to Justinian,
he enrolled the boy and his mother in the church, after they had been
enlightened with the bath of rebirth; as for the father, who did not
115 Miracles that affected the plague are rare; Barsanuphius urged his fellow monks to
join in prayer with three perfect men, John in Rome, Elias in Corinth, and an anonymous
person in the province of Jerusalem (i.e. Barsanuphius himself), who were labouring to
secure a speedy end to the torment: Correspondance 569. If Ephrem was still patriarch, it
must have been the first visitation of the plague which was stopped, whereas under Domni-
nusit would have been one of the recurrences. For the periphrasis‘sons of...’, cf. nn. 15 and
67 and above, and. i.20 with n. 175.
116 Cf. iv. 11 above for this incorrect succession.
242
EVAGRIUS
tolerate being numbered among Christians, he had him impaled in Sycae
as murderer of his child. And these things happened in this way. 117
37 After Menas Eutychius ascended to the see, while at Jerusalem Salu-
stius succeeded to the see after Martyrius, and Elias after him, and then
Peter, and after him Macarius, though the emperor had not yet
approved; he was expelled from his throne, for they said that he professed
the doctrines of Origen. After him Eustochius succeeded to the bishopric.
After the expulsion of Theodosius, as has already been described, Zoilus
was appointed bishop of the city of the Alexandrians, and after he had
been added to his predecessors Apollinarius obtained the throne. After
Ephrem Domninus was entrusted with the see of Antioch. 118
38 While Vigilius was in charge of the elder Rome, of the new Rome first
Menas, then Eutychius, of the city of Alexander Apollinarius, of that of
Antiochus Domninus, and of Jerusalem Eustochius, Justinian
summoned the Fifth Synod for the following reason. Because those who
revered the doctrines of Origen were increasing in power, especially in
the so-called New Lavra, Eustochius made every effort to drive them
out. And after coming to the said New Lavra he expelled everyone and
117 The same miracle is recorded by Georgius Monachus, vol. II 654:19-656:11, incor¬
rectly placed in the reign of J ustin 11; Gregory of Tours (Glory of the Martyrs 9) has the same
story, but with no specific location or chronological indication, while the father is punished
by being pushed into his own furnace by an angry crowd. There is a rather more mundane
version in the Life of Sabas ch. 5: the monastic baker had left some clothes to dry in his oven,
which was then heated up, but the young Sabas plunged into it to rescue them after making
the sign of the cross. In Rufus, Plerophories 14, there is a Monophysite version of the story,
in which an old prophet has a vision before the Council of Chalcedon: he sees a crowd of
bishops placing a beautiful child in a furnace for three days; the child is Christ, who identi¬
fies Dioscorus of Alexandria as his only friend.
For Sycae as a place of execution, cf. iii. n. 136 above.
118 This episcopal synchronism is the first constructed by Evagrius himself: the last one,
at iii.23 (the end of Zeno’s reign in 491), was based on Zachariah (see iii n. 76 above). It is
designed to set the scene for the report of the Fifth Ecumenical Council. Menas of Constan¬
tinople died in 552, during preparations for the Council, and was rapidly replaced by Eu¬
tychius (cf. n. 123 below). For Jerusalem (now added for the first time to the three major
Eastern patriarchates), Evagrius traces the succession back into the fifth century: Martyrius
(478-86), Salustius (486-94), Elias ( 494-516), Peter (524-52), Macarius (552), Eustochius
(552-63); Evagrius has omitted John III (516-24). For Alexandria, Evagrius repeats the
error he made at iv. 11 in omitting Theodosius’ immediate successor, Paul the Tabennesiot
(537^10), who was followed by Zoilus (540-51) and Apollinarius (551-70). At Antioch,
Ephrem died in 545, to be succeeded by Domninus (545-59).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
243
drove them far away, as if they were causes of general pollution, but after
they had been scattered they won over many to their side. 119 1187]
119 This is a rather confused account of the complex antecedents to the Fifth Council,
held at Constantinople in 553. There were two distinct issues: first the Origenist dispute
which arose in Palestine in the mid-530s, and which Justinian’s edict of 543 was meant to
resolve (see below; also n. 122, first paragraph); second, the Three Chapters dispute, which
arose in 544 out of the resolution of the Origenist dispute and which Justinian attempted to
terminate through his Declaration of Faith in 551 (see n. 122 below). To promote acceptance
of the Three Chapters initiative in the West, Justinian had to secure the support of Pope
Vigilius (see n. 122 below), and this ultimately required the convocation of an Ecumenical
Council (as narrated in the latter part of this chapter). But the occasion of the Council also
furnished an opportunity for another discussion of the Palestinian Origenist problems,
thereby bringing together the two strands of these ecclesiastical debates.
For discussion of Evagrius’ evidence and its chronological problems, see Diekamp, Strei-
tigkeiten 100-6. Part of Evagrius’ problem is that he clearly antedated the accession of Eu-
stochius, who was in fact only appointed to Jerusalem in December 552, after arrangements
for the Council were well under way (Allen, Evagrius 202). His predecessor Peter had been
active against the Origenists, although it was Eustochius who reclaimed the New Lavra for
orthodoxy, after the Fifth Council; Cyril, the hagiographer of Sabas, was among the monks
who were assembled to repopulate (he Lavra on that occasion (Life of Sabas ch. 90).
The Origenist problem in Palestine was an important antecedent to the Council, but the
more direct motive for Justinian’s summons of the assembly was to obtain universal agree¬
ment to his edict on the Three Chapters (see n. 122 below); on the other hand, Cyril of
Scythopolis also regarded the Origenist problem as the main work of the Council. Origenist
issues were discussed at a separate gathering of bishops, probably a local Synod that was
convened just before the official opening of the Ecumenical Council: cf. n. 131 below, and
see Grillmeier, Christ II.2 402-10.
Origen, the theological allegorizer of the third century, was condemned in his own life¬
time, though as much for his irregular ordination to the priesthood as for theological spec¬
ulations. The loss of most of his writings makes reconstruction of his doctrines difficult, but
his ideas remained influential, especially as expounded in the late-fourth century by Eva¬
grius of Pontus and Didymus the Blind: their writings had a profound impact on Eastern
spirituality and effectively represent what most subsequent participants in debates regarded
as Origenist. In Palestine Origenist doctrines, for example on the pre-existence of souls, that
the soul of Christ was superior to other souls, and that mortal bodies were not identical to
those which would be resurrected, appear to have spread in monastic circles in the early sixth
century as part of the intellectual attempt to resolve Ihe Christological problem which
divided Chalcedonians and Monophysites. Leontius of Byzantium, a monk in the monas¬
tery of Sabas who was a leading defender of Chalcedon, while attempting to interpret the
Council, expressed reservations about some of the Cyrillan and Theopaschite language of
contemporary neo-Chalcedonians; as a result he could be presented as sanctioning a more
Origenist understanding of Christ as a divine intellect that was temporarily incorporated in
a human body, an intelligible misrepresentation. Above all, Origenism came to represent an
attitude towards theology as much as a doctrinal system and so offered a conveniently here¬
tical label with which to brand opponents, especially intellectuals who believed that theolo-
244
EVAGRIUS
Theodore surnamed Ascidas, Bishop of the city of Caesar, which is
the chief of the province of Cappadocia, defended them, a man who was
in regular attendance on Justinian since he was established as loyal to
him and particularly friendly. 120 And so while he was stirring up the
palace and calling the action an utter impiety and illegality, Eustochius
sent to the imperial city Rufus, head of the monastery of Theodosius,
and Conon, that of the monastery of Sabas, men who had the highest
reputations in the desert both from their personal reputations and
because of the monasteries which they led; 121 with them others came
too, who were not far behind in repute. In the first instance these men
raised the matter of Origen and Evagrius and Didymus, but Theodore
gical speculation, for example on the mechanics of the incarnation, was a suitable activity
for monks: see Daley, ‘Leontius’ 362-9. For the debate, see Stallman-Pacitti, Cyril 89-105;
Daley, ‘Leontius’; Binns, Ascetics 201-15; Meyendorff, Unity 230-5. Grillmeier, Christ II.2
181-229, is detailed on Leontius’ doctrinal teaching, but less clear on other implications.
Until the death of Sabas in 532, the intellectual Origenists had been kept in check by the
uncompromising anti-intellectualism of this powerful monastic leader (for his hostility, see
for example Life ch. 83, p. 188:18), but over the next decade their influence within the Pales¬
tinian monasteries increased, to the extent that they controlled the New Lavra and at¬
tempted to take over, or destroy. Ihe Great Lavra and other monastic communities.
120 Theodore, an Origenist and one of the leading monks in the New Lavra, had tra¬
velled to Constantinople in 536 to participate in the Council which considered the resigna¬
tion of Patriarch Anthimus and the orthodoxy of Severus (see n. 31 above); he became a
confidant of Justinian, and was soon appointed bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia while
Ihe like-minded Domitian became bishop of Ankara (Life of Sabas ch. 83, p. 189:6). Justi¬
nian’s failure to assess Theodore’s qualities implies that he was a poor judge of character, or
insufficiently careful about his associates: contrast the praise of Maurice at v.19, pp. 214:33—
215:3.
121 Evagrius’ confusion over the date of Eustochius’ accession causes him more pro¬
blems: this paragraph begins with the actions of Theodore in the late 530s, moves to Eusto¬
chius’ representatives at Constantinople in 552/ 3, and then continues to the Three Chapters
debate of the 540s (see next note).
Conon, the abbot of the Great Lavra (Monastery of Sabas), visited Constantinople in 552
to complain about the actions of Ihe Origenists, and managed to secure the appointment of
Eustochius as patriarch: thereafter Eustochius had to impose order in his new see and so
could not attend Ihe Ecumenical Council which was now being prepared, but Conon
requested him to dispatch Eulogius, abbot of the monastery of Theodosius, as one of his
representatives (Life of Sabas ch. 90). Rufus is not otherwise attested as the head of the
monastery of Theodosius, and Evagrius may simply be in error (Binns, Ascetics 216) since
he subsequently recognizes the presence at the Council of Eulogius (p. 188:25): at his death
in 529, Theodosius was succeeded by Sophronius (Life of Sabas ch. 70, pp. 171:26-172:5),
but there is plenty of time for another abbot between him and Eulogius.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
245
the Cappadocian, with the intention of diverting them in a different
direction, introduced the matter of Theodore of Mopsuestia and
Theodoret and Ibas, though God in His goodness arranged everything
to advantage so that the profanities might be driven out from both
sides. 122
122 This, again, is a rather confusingly compressed account of the origins of the Three
Chapters controversy. The Origenist problem, which had been increasing in Palestine
during the 530s, came to a head when a local Synod at Antioch issued an anathema
against Origenist doctrines; in Palestine Origenist monks tried to have Ephrem of Antioch’s
name struck from the records, but Patriarch Peter of Jerusalem referred the matter to Justi¬
nian; with the support of Patriarch Menas and of the papal representative Pelagius, the
emperor issued an anti-Origenist edict in 543, which concluded with nine anathemas sum¬
marizing the main Origenist theses under attack (Liberatus 24, p. 140:13-19; Schwartz,
Schriften 47-69). All patriarchs and bishops were required to subscribe; even Theodore
Ascidas agreed, a decision facilitated by the fact that the anathemas focused on Origenist
errors identified in debates in the fourth and fifth centuries rather than on what were alleged
to be their contemporary manifestations: see Grillmeier, Christ II.2 387^102.
Theodore Ascidas, quite possibly with the support of the empress Theodora, recovered
his influence with Justinian by proposing that an explicit condemnation of Theodore of
Mopsuestia, the teacher of Nestorius, might encourage Monophysites to return to commu¬
nion with the Chalcedonians; an incidental benefit from the perspective of Theodore
Ascidas was that Theodore of Mopsuestia had been a leading opponent of Origenist
thought. This initiative resulted in the issuing of an imperial edict in 544, which condemned
the ‘Three Chapters’, namely the person and works of Theodore, the writings of Theodoret
of Cyrrhus against Cyril of Alexandria, and the letter to Maris the Persian attributed to Ibas
of Edessa. As a result Chalcedon would become more closely connected with Cyril, whereas
Antiochene traditions of Christology would be excluded: see Gray, ‘Noah’ 201-5.
Although Justinian asserted his acceptance of Chalcedon and intention that his new in¬
itiative should not be seen as an attack on the Council, the edict still provoked intense oppo¬
sition in the West and among committed Chalcedonians in the East, since it appeared to
question the rectitude of the Council’s decisions, at which Theodoret and Ibas had both
been reinstated as orthodox: Grillmeier, Christ II.2 421-5. In order to overcome this, Justi¬
nian had Pope Vigilius forcibly removed from Rome in 546 and brought to Constantinople;
after a year of severe pressure, Vigilius agreed to subscribe to this edict in 548, but this
merely provoked local Councils in western provinces to reject the Pope and his decision. In
the face of this opposition, Vigilius suggested the convocation of a general Council, and
meantime withdrew his agreement to the condemnation of the Three Chapters. When
Justinian issued a Declaration of Faith in 551, this appeared to preempt the decisions of
any Council (which Justinian preferred to avoid), but Vigilius refused to accept this and
prepared to pronounce anathemas against Menas and Theodore Ascidas, the architects of
Justinian’s doctrinal policy. Justinian meantime deposed Zoilus of Alexandria and Peter of
Jerusalem for their refusal to agree to the condemnation of the Three Chapters, but at last
accepted the inevitability of a Council to resolve the dispute.
246
EVAGRIUS
Now when a first question was raised as to whether it was right for
the dead to be encompassed by anathemas, Eutychius was present. He
was trained to the highest degree in sacred scripture though, while
Menas was still alive, he was not one of the more prominent: for he
was serving as apocrisarius to the bishop of Amasea. He looked at the
gathering not only with self-confidence but also contempt, 123 and
clearly stated that this did not require any consideration, for Josiah
the king had long ago not only slain the living priests of the demons,
but had also dug up the tombs of those who had long been dead. This
seemed to everyone to have been spoken appositely. When Justinian
heard this, he raised him to the throne of the royal city immediately
after Menas’ death. 124
Now Vigilius assented in writing, but did not choose to attend. 125
Justinian asked the assembled Synod what it thought about Theodore
and what Theodoret had said against Cyril and his Twelve Chapters,
For clear discussions, see Bury, History II. 383-9; Brehier, in Fliche and Martin IV. 460-
72; Meyendorff, Unity 234—40; Grillmeier, Christ II.2 419-29.
123 Eutychius, a monk from Amasea, was representing his bishop in the capital as apoc¬
risarius. The antithesis of <)>povf||Tcm / KocToc4>povf||jan:i goes back to Thucydides (ii.62.3),
though it had become a cliche.
124 The same story of Eutychius’ timely intervention in a debate, presumably at a local
gathering of bishops at Constantinople, is recorded in the Life by Eustratius 613-38 (Laga =
PG 86, chs. 22-3). Menas died on 24 August 552, and Justinian required a doctrinally reli¬
able successor to supervise the deliberations of the Council. Discussion in Averil Cameron,
‘Models’ 213-14.
Allen, Evagrius 203, claims that this information about Eutychius must have been sup¬
plied by Domitian of Melitene, but there is no basis for this speculation. Eutychius’ eleva¬
tion was quite dramatic, and the circumstances were probably widely known.
125 Vigilius’ written assent probably refers to his letter of 6 January 553, which was read
out on the first day of the Council (ACOTVA. pp. 16:17-18:14). On 14 May 553, after refus¬
ing two requests to attend, partly on grounds of ill health, partly because there were not
enough Italian bishops present, Vigilius issued a Constitutum in which he condemned a
wide range of the views of Theodore of Mopsuestia, but refused to condemn a person who
was, at his death, an accepted member of the Church; he also refused to condemn Theodoret
(though he did list, without attribution, five of the errors ascribed to him) and Ibas, since
this would be to overturn the decisions of Chalcedon, which had cleared them of all suspi¬
cion of Nestorian views. Evagrius glosses over the determined opposition of Vigilius to the
proceedings. Vigilius finally assented to the Council’s condemnation of the Three Chapters
in a letter to Eutychius on 8 December: Grillmeier, Christ II.2 441-2.
The Life of Eutychius, 799-815 (Laga = PG 86, ch. 28), claimed that Vigilius did attend,
but for the considerable distortions of this source, see Cameron, ‘Eustratius’ 230-2.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
247
and the so-called letter of Ibas to Maris the Persian. 126 After many writ¬
ings of Theodore and Theodoret had been read, and it had been demon¬
strated that long ago even |188| Theodore had been condemned and
erased from the sacred diptychs, and that heretics ought to be
condemned even after their death, 127 they anathematized Theodore
nem. con., as it is said, 128 and the pronouncements of Theodoret against
the Twelve Chapters of Cyril and the correct faith, and the letter of Ibas
to Maris the Persian, stating in the following words:
Our great God and saviour Jesus Christ, according to the parable
in the Gospels ...
and further on:
In addition to all other heretics who have been condemned and
anathematized by the aforesaid four holy Synods and by the
whole universal and apostolic Church, we condemn and anath¬
ematize as well Theodore, who is called bishop of Mopsuestia,
and his impious writings, and what was impiously written by
Theodoret against the correct faith and the Twelve Chapters of
Cyril, who is with the saints, and the first holy Synod at Ephesus,
and all that he composed in support of Theodore and Nestorius.
And in addition to these we also anathematize the impious letter
said to have been written by Ibas to Maris the Persian. 129
126 The documents relating to the Fifth Ecumenical Council are not completely pre¬
served. Justinian’s address to ihe Council is at ACO IV. 1, pp. 8:13-14:27. For a summary
of proceedings, see Brehier in Fliche and Martin IV. 472-6.
127 This extensive enquiry into the works of Theodore, Theodoret and Ibas occupies
ACO IV. pp. 43-182; cf. Gray, ‘Noah’ 200-5. For the significance of the inclusion or exclu¬
sion of names from the diptychs, cf. iii n. 66 above.
128 For the periphrasis, cf. i.12, p. 20:24-5.
129 The decision of the Council occupies ACO IV. 1, pp. 208:1-215:7; ihe quotations are
from pp. 208:1-2,214:16-23 (there is a shorter Greek version at pp. 239:1-240:2). Theodore
is ‘called bishop of Mopsuestia’ because Justinian had instigated an investigation in the city
which supposedly discovered that Theodore’s name was not recorded in the episcopal
diptychs; the place where his name should have been was occupied by Cyril, namely his
doctrinal opponent Cyril of Alexandria: ACO IV. 1, pp. 116 17. The attribution to Ibas of
the letter to Maris was denied throughout the proceedings (discussion at the sixth session
of the Council, ACO IV. 1, pp. 138-82; see Gray, ‘Noah’ 201-2); this was important since it
allowed the offensive text to be anathematized without, in theory, affecting the standing of
Ibas whose orthodoxy had been upheld at Chalcedon. The Council’s acceptance of Chalce-
248
EVAGRIUS
And after other things they expounded fourteen chapters concerning
the correct and blameless faith. 130 And thus did these matters proceed.
But when depositions against the doctrines of Origen, who is also called
Adamantine, and those who follow his impiety and error, were submitted
by the monks Eulogius, Conon, Cyriacus and Pancratius, 131 Justinian
asked the assembled Synod concerning these matters, |189| after
attaching both a copy of the deposition and the missives to Vigilius
concerning these things. 132 From all of these one can gather how Origen
attempted to fill up the simplicity of apostolic doctrines with Hellenic
and Manichaean tares. Accordingly a reply to Justinian was given by
the Synod, after it had made acclamations against Origen and his compa¬
nions in error. Part of this was set out in these words:
O most Christian emperor, who possesses a soul which partakes
of heavenly virtue...
and further on:
Accordingly we have fled, we have fled this. For we did not recog¬
nize the voice of the strangers, and after safely binding such a
man as a thief and robber in the nooses of anathema, we have
cast him out from the sacred precincts.
don is underlined by the reference to the four holy Councils. For the contents of the canons,
see Grillmeier, Christ II.2 444—53.
130 ACO IV. 1, pp. 215:8-220:5, 240:2-244:6 (based on the thirteen anathemas in Justi¬
nian’s Declaration of Faith).
131 Cyril of Scythopolis, Life of Sabas ch. 90, pp. 198:25-199:1, confirms that, in addi¬
tion to three bishops who represented him at the Council, Patriarch Eustochius sent these
three leading monks: Eulogius was abbot of the monastery of Theodosius, Cyriacus of the
monastery of the Source, while Pancratius was a stylite; Conon, the abbot of the Great
Lavra, was already in Constantinople (cf. n. 121 above). These proceedings concerning
Origen are not included among the incomplete acta of the Fifth Council; they preceded the
Council (cf. n. 119 above, second paragraph) and were not regarded as a formal part of
proceedings, but the concurrence between Evagrius and Cyril of Scythopolis over the
monks’ names indicates that Evagrius has placed the petition in the correct context.
132 Justinian had written to Vigilius in 543 to obtain his assent to the emperor’s anti-
Origenist edict, but there may have been subsequent correspondence as the dispute contin¬
ued to cause trouble.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
249
And a bit later:
The force of what has been done by us you will learn from the
reading of it.
To this they also attached the chapters which revealed what those
who hold the doctrines of Origen were taught to profess, both their agree¬
ments as well as their disagreements, and their many-sided error. Among
these there is a fifth chapter for the blasphemies of individual members of
the so-called New Lavra, which ran thus: Theodore Ascidas the Cappa¬
docian said: “If now the apostles and martyrs accomplish miracles and
are held in the same honour, if in the restoration they are not equal to
Christ, what sort of restoration is there for them?’” 133 Many other blas¬
phemies of Didymus, Evagrius 134 and Theodore were also reported by
them, since they had collected relevant material with great diligence.
Then, after some time had interposed since this Synod, Eutychius
was expelled, and John was introduced instead to the see of the Church
of Constantinople. He came from Seremis, which is a village situated in
the Cynegike, in the territory of the city of the Antiochenes. 135 1190]
133 This refers to the doctrine of the so-called Isochrist Origenists, who held that the
object of prayer and the ascetic life was to restore the human soul to its primal state of
union with God (souls existed eternally, and before the Fall had been united in contempla¬
tion of God; thereafter they had been divided); if this could be achieved, the human soul
would be equal to Christ.
134 Didymus the Blind and Evagrius of Pontus, the two most important disciples of
Origen; cf. n. 119 above.
135 There had in fact been an interval of eleven years. Eutychius was removed from office
in January 565, and exiled to his monastery at Amasea, for refusing to approve Justinian’s
Aphthartodocetist edict (see next chapter). Discussion in Averil Cameron, ‘Eustratius’
234-7; ‘Models’ 215. His successor, Johnscliolasticus , was prepared to compromise on this
issue, or at least to give that impression. Van den Ven, ‘L’Accession’ esp. 334-44, suggested
that Eutychius saw no more than a preparatory proposal (xapTT) in the Life of Eutychius
1015-16 [Laga = PG 86, ch. 36 col. 2316D]) and that, although he raised objections, doctrinal
differences were not the cause of his exile. This argument presumes that Evagrius’ narrative
order is accurate, which is not necessarily the case even for such recent events (Stein, Bas-
Empire II. 688 n. 1, accuses him of error here); furthermore, if Evagrius had linked
Eutychius’ expulsion with this doctrinal dispute, this might have distracted attention from
Anastasius of Antioch whose principled objection Evagrius wished to highlight. By contrast,
in his Life of Eutychius Eustratius shows considerable respect for imperial authority, and he
may not have wanted to highlight his hero’s rejection of a formal imperial edict.
250
EVAGRIUS
39 At that time, 136 Justinian, after abandoning the correct highway of
doctrine and travelling a path untrodden by the Apostles and Fathers,
fell among thistles and thorns. Although he wished to fill the Church
too with these, he failed in his objective since the Lord protected the
royal road with unbroken fences, lest murderers might leap onto a
leaning wall, as it were, or an overturned barrier, in fulfilment of the
prediction of the prophet. 137 And so after Vigilius John, who is also
called Catelinus, was bishop of elder Rome, of New Rome John from
Seremis, of the city of the Alexandrians Apollinarius, while Anastasius
was bishop of the city of the Theopolitans after Domninus, and at Jeru¬
salem Macarius was returned again to his own see since, after the
deposition of Eustochius, he had anathematized Origen and Didymus
and Evagrius. 138 Justinian issued what is called by the Romans an
edict, in which he described the body of Christ as incorruptible and
not susceptible to the natural and blameless passions, thus stating that
the Lord ate before the Passion just as He ate after the resurrection,
and that from the time of its formation in the womb His all-holy body
did not experience any change or variation in respect to the voluntary
and natural passions, not even after its resurrection; 139 he compelled
136 AD 564. In the last years of his reign, Justinian pursued his quest for religious uni¬
fication, first through a meeting with the unnamed Julianist bishop of Joppa soon after 560
(Michael the Syrian ix.34, II. p. 272), and then through discussions with the Nestorian Paul
of Nisibis (Guillaumont, ‘Justinian’; Lee, ‘Paul’ 476-9). These efforts may have aroused
suspicions about Justinian’s doctrinal position, which then received confirmation in the
Aphthartodocete initiative.
137 The ‘royal road’ of orthodoxy: Lampe, x.v. PocmkiKog I.A.l; ‘leaning wall’: Psalms
61 (62).3-4.
138 Episcopal synchronism. At Rome Vigilius, who died in Sicily in 555 while returning
from his long absence in Constantinople, was succeeded by Pelagius (555-60), who in turn
was succeeded by John III Catelinus in 561; at Antioch (Theopolis) Domninus died in 559.
At Jerusalem Eustochius had been responsible for repressing the Origenist monks, whose
ideas had caused such trouble earlier in Justinian’s reign; this included the mass expulsion of
monks from the New Lavra and their replacement by orthodox Chalcedonians, but it was
(hese officially sanctioned measures which led to his downfall (Theophanes 242:29). Justi¬
nian may have been influenced into taking his Aphthartodocetist measure by the Julianist
bishop of Joppa (see next note), and Stein plausibly speculated that this individual might
have suggested to Justinian that his patriarchal superior in Palestine should be replaced
(Bas-Empire II. 685).
139 The Aphthartodocete initiative is another example of the intellectual closeness of
neo-Chalcedonian and Monophysite positions, which could not, however, be bridged in
practice. The heretical view had been propagated by Julian, the early sixth-century bishop
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV
251
the priests in all places to assent to this. And so all said that they were
waiting for Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch, and diverted the initial
attempt. 140
40 Now Anastasius was especially skilled in sacred matters, as well as
being strict in his habits and lifestyle, so that he paid attention even to
extremely minute matters and in no way diverged from what was
upright and established, and especially not in significant matters and
ones which related to the Divinity itself. His character was so well
balanced that he was neither vulnerable to what was unsuitable by being
approachable and accessible, nor by being austere |191] and merciless
was he inaccessible for what was necessary. And so in serious matters
his ear was ready and his tongue fluent, straightaway resolving questions,
but in trivial matters his ears were completely shut and a bridle checked
of Halicarnassus, who was a prominent Monophysite opponent of Severus of Antioch; he
taught that Christ’s body was not susceptible to corruption or suffering, but that Christ had
voluntarily accepted suffering and death to save humanity. The doctrine was intended to
counter the excessive emphasis on a distinction between Christ’s humanity, which experi¬
enced human emotions and sufferings, and His divinity, which performed the miracles. It
was not incompatible with the Chalcedonian position (van Esbroeck, ‘Edict’), but because
it had been formulated by leading opponents of Chalcedon, such as Timothy Aelurus, it had
acquired Ihe label of anti-Chalcedonian.
Earlier in Justinian’s reign Leontius of Byzantium had complained that some Chalcedo-
nians, seduced by the word aphtharsia, ‘incorruptibility’, of which they approved, had gone
over to the teachings of Severus and Julian (PG 86, col. 1317C-D); Justinian undoubtedly
continued to see himself as a Chalcedonian, and probably hoped that his adoption of the
belief would attract Julianists back to the mainstream fold. Carcione, ‘Giustiniano’, dis¬
putes this interpretation on Ihe grounds that Justinian had. as recently as 562, ordered the
arrest of the Alexandrian patriarch Elpidius, who then died en route to Constantinople
(Theophanes 241.6-10), events which would have antagonized Monophysites. But, in all
his doctrinal discussions, Justinian had tried to bring relevant leaders to Constantinople
where pressure to compromise could best be applied, and Elpidius was a Gaianist (an ad¬
herent of Patriarch Gaianus, on whom see n. 27 above) who espoused the Christological
views towards which Justinian was now moving. Theophanes’ notice of Elpidius’ death
does not suggest that it was Ihe result of his arrest.
140 Eutychius of Constantinople was, inevitably, the first patriarch to have to respond to
Justinian’s new doctrinal demands. Anastasius of Antioch summoned a meeting of the
bishops in his patriarchate, and it was these who sheltered behind him. The Life of Euty¬
chius, 1175-82 (Laga = PG 86, ch. 41), singles Anastasius out for special praise, (hough Eu¬
tychius himself naturally took the lead; as an inhabitant of Antioch, Evagrius focuses on
Anastasius and virtually ignores Eutychius: cf. Averil Cameron, ‘Eustratius’ 236-7.
252
EVAGRIUS
his tongue, so that both speech was modulated by thought and silence
was made mightier than speech. 141
Justinian assailed this man like some impregnable tower by applying
contrivances of all sorts, reckoning that, if he could shake this one, there
would be no toil left in capturing the city and enslaving the correct
doctrines and taking captive the flocks of Christ. 142 But to such an
extent was Anastasius elevated aloft by his sacred courage-for he had
taken his stand upon the immovable rock of the faith - that he even
opposed Justinian in public in a personal declaration, 143 and through it
displayed with great clarity and learning that the body of Christ was
corruptible in the natural and blameless passions, and that both the
venerable apostles and the divinely inspired Fathers believed and
handed this down. He responded thus as well to a question from the
monastic community of First and Second Syria, bolstering the minds of
all and making them ready for the struggle, reading daily in church the
words of the chosen vessel: 144 ‘If anyone proclaims to you a gospel
different from what you have received, even if he be an angel from
heaven, let him be anathema.’ 145 Except for a small number everyone
attended to this, and eagerly acted in similar fashion.
And so he also wrote a farewell speech to the Antiochenes, since he
learnt that Justinian wished to banish him; this is deservedly admired
for its beautiful language, the flow of ideas, the wealth of sacred texts
and the suitability of its narration.
41 But since God made better provision for us, 146 the speech was not
published. For while he was pronouncing the banishment of Anastasius
and his subordinate priests, |192| Justinian was invisibly wounded and
departed the life here, after reigning for 38 years and 8 months in all. 147
End of the 4th Book of the Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius.
141 Cf. the praise of Maurice: v.19, pp. 214:29-215:12.
142 Cf. the siege language applied to the Devil in i. 1, p. 6:18-22.
143 This was the decision of the local Synod convened by Anastasius.
144 Acts 9.15.
145 Galatians 1.8.
146 Hebrews 11.40.
147 Justinian died on the night of 14 November 565, at the age of about 83, after a reign
of 38 years, 7 months and 13 days. His sudden death was a clear sign of divine disapproval
(and cf. v.l for Evagrius’ verdict).
[193] THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF THE FIFTH
BOOK OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS SCHOLASTICUS
1. Concerning Justin’s proclamation and his character.
2. Concerning the murder of Justin his cousin.
3. Concerning the criminals Addaeus and Aetherius.
4. Concerning the proclamation of our faith which Justin wrote
to Christians everywhere.
5. Concerning the expulsion of Anastasius, Bishop of Theopolis.
6. That Gregory became bishop after Anastasius, and
concerning his character.
7. That the so-called Armenian Persians approached the Chris¬
tians, on which account the war against the Persians broke out.
8. Concerning General Marcian and the siege of Nisibis.
9. That Chosroes dispatched against the Romans General Adar-
maanes, who caused great harm to them, while he himself proceeded to
Nisibis.
10. Concerning the capture of Apamea and of Dara.
11. That Emperor Justin was stricken by mental illness and
Tiberius received charge of everything.
12. That Trajan, who was sent on an embassy to Chosroes,
restored the affairs of the Romans.
13. Concerning Tiberius’ proclamation as emperor and his habits.
14. That the emperor Tiberius collected a large army against
Chosroes, dispatched General Justinian, and drove him from the
Romans’ land.
|194] 15. That Chosroes died, dispirited by the defeat, and his son
Hormisdas inherited the realm of the Persians.
16. Who were the bishops of the major sees at that time.
17. Concerning the earthquake which occurred at Antioch under
Tiberius.
18. Concerning the uprising against the impious Anatolius.
19. Concerning the generalship of Maurice and his virtues.
254
EVAGRIUS
20. How Maurice defeated the Persians’ generals Tamchosroes
and Adarmaanes.
21. Concerning the signs which predicted imperial rule for
Maurice.
22. Concerning the proclamation of Maurice and Augusta.
23. Concerning a record of chronology from Justin the Younger
until Maurice.
24. Concerning the historical accounts which survive in sequence
down to us.
|195] BOOK V OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS OF EPIPHANIA, SCHOLASTICUS AND
EX-PREFECT
1 Thus indeed Justinian, after filling absolutely everywhere with confu¬
sion and turmoil and collecting the wages for this at the conclusion to
his life, passed over to the lowest places of punishment. But Justin, who
was his nephew and had been entrusted with the guard of the palace,
which the Roman tongue calls curopalatus, donned the purple after
him; no one knew of Justinian’s demise or Justin’s proclamation except
his entourage, until he appeared in the Hippodrome to accomplish and
experience what was customary for royalty. Then, once this had
happened without any disturbance whatsoever, he returned to the
palace. 1 The first command he issued was to dismiss to their own sees
the priests who had been assembled everywhere, 2 on condition that they
1 Following Justinian’s death on the night of 14 November 565, events were smoothly
controlled by Callinicus, the chief eunuch, who alone was present at the moment of death,
and a group of leading senators. These went to the Palace of Hormisdas to summon Justin,
and then on the morning of 15 November, while rumours prompted the populace to gather
in the Hippodrome, Justin was crowned inside the palace, so that the subsequent public
presentation in the Hippodrome was no more than a formal confirmation of the transfer
of power. The most detailed narrative is in Corippus’ panegyric of the new emperor, lust.
i-ii, with discussion in Cameron’s notes.
After Justin’s accession, the post of curopalatus , an administrative post of only modest
importance, became much more significant and was regularly held by a member of the im¬
perial family or a close supporter (see Mary Whitby, ‘Ceremony’ 469-76); Justin’s position
was greatly helped by the fact that the powerful excubitors, the main unit of the palace
guard, were commanded by a protege of his, the future emperor Tiberius.
2 Festugiere, 413 n. 2, regarded ‘assembled’ (auv£tA.£ypEvou<;) as suspect, on the grounds
that there is no evidence for assemblies of bishops other than at Constantinople and
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
255
worshipped as was customary and no one introduced any innovation
concerning the faith. And this was done to his credit.
In his lifestyle he was dissolute and he completely wallowed in luxu¬
ries and outlandish delights, so ardent a lover of the property of others
that he transacted everything for illicit gain, not even fearing the Divinity
in the matter of priesthoods, which he sold to the first-comers, openly
making even these |196| subject to purchase. 3 Being ruled by the vices of
bravado and cowardice, he first had Justin summoned, a relative of his,
who was held in great renown by everyone both for his military experi¬
ence and other distinctions; he was stationed on the Danube and was
preventing the Avars from crossing. 4 The Avars are a Scythian race, one
of the wagon-dwellers who range across the plains over there beyond
the Caucasus; they had fled en masse from their neighbours the Turks,
after being ill-treated by them, and had come to Bosporus. And after
leaving the shore of the so-called Euxine Sea, where there were many
barbarian nations, though cities and camps and certain anchorages had
also been established by Romans, either for soldiers who were veterans
or for colonies sent out by the emperors, they continued their journey,
fighting against all the barbarians on the way, until they had reached the
shores of the Danube and sent an embassy to Justinian. 5 So, Justin was
Antioch; he suggested a minor change to ‘arrested’ (auvstXr|H|r£voii(;), so that the sentence
could refer to the opponents of Justinian’s Three Chapters policy who were now to be per¬
mitted to return to their cities (for the return of exiles, cf. Venantius Fortunatus, Appendix
2.39^44). But this change is unnecessary: Justinian had demanded acceptance of his here¬
tical command from all patriarchs, and it is likely that all gathered their sulfragan bishops,
as at Antioch, to discuss their collective reaction; this indeed is suggested by the Life of
Eutychius, ch. 41. where the specific mention of Anastasius of Antioch does not rule out
comparable actions by his fellow patriarchs. Michael the Syrian, x.l, II. p. 283, though,
only refers to a gathering at Antioch.
For thorough discussion of Justin’s religious initiatives, see Averil Cameron, ‘Policies’.
3 Cf. iii. 1-2, criticism of Zeno. For discussion of the largely hostile image of Justin in the
sources, where his alleged greed is prominent, see Averil Cameron, ‘ Kaiserkritik ’; also
Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’.
4 Justin, son of Germanus, was the new emperor’s cousin; since 550 he had held military
commands in Thrace, Lazica and Armenia, and then Thrace again, where his defence of the
Danube in the early 560s is described by Menander fr. 5.4. See further PLRE III. 750^4, s. v.
Justinus 4.
5 The Avars had come into diplomatic contact with the Romans in about 558 when, with
the Alans as intermediaries, they sent an embassy via the Roman commander in Lazica
(Justin, son of Germanus) to Constantinople; the direction of their embassy indicates that
256
EVAGRIUS
summoned from there, as if, indeed, he was due to benefit from what had
been agreed between himself and the emperor Justin. For since both had
established comparable prestige in life’s illusions, and the imperial
power dangled over both, the two agreed after much disputation that
the one who came into the imperial power should give the second place
to the other, so that from his second place in the empire he should win
precedence over others. 6
2 Accordingly Justin, after welcoming Justin with a superficial show of
great kindness, gradually invented accusations and removed his shield-
bearers and spear-bearers and bodyguards and debarred him from
access to himself (for, on the orders of Justin, he stayed in his house),
and banished him to the great city of Alexander. |197| He was cruelly
slain there deep in the night, while still lying in bed, collecting this recom¬
pense for his goodwill to the state and for his courageous deeds in wars.
And the emperor himself and his consort Sophia did not remit their
wrath, or have their fill of seething rage, until they had looked at his
severed head and kicked it with their feet. 7
3 Not long after he consigned to trial for treason Aetherius and
Addaeus, who were members of the senatorial council and had held
great and most important positions under Justinian. Of these Aetherius
confirmed that he had wished to make away with the emperor by
poison, and said that he had Addaeus as his associate in this undertaking
and as an associate in all things. But the latter swore with dire oaths that
they had arrived in the vicinity of the Sea of Azov, hence the reference to Bosporus, the
settlement at the Straits of Kerch where the Sea of Azov enters the Black Sea. They had
formerly been a major power in central Asia, but had fled west as the Turkish federation
established itself as the dominant force in this region. For discussion, see Whitby, Maurice
84-6.
6 The career of Justin, son of Germanus, had been more prominent than that of his
cousin, since he had held the ordinary consulship in 540, and been magister militum since
557. The son of Vigilantia was definitely inferior in 'life’s illusions’, being only an honorary
consul and holding the post of curopalatus , but proximity to the palace more than out¬
weighed this disadvantage.
7 Theophanes (244:4) accords Justin the title of augustalis, which would indicate that
Justin had been given an exalted official position, but there is no confirmation for this; if
Justin was killed before Aetherius and Addaeus (v.3), the date must be 566. Contrast the
aversion to bloodshed of good emperors such as Maurice (vi.2, p. 223:18-19; cf. iii.34, p.
134:15-18 for Anastasius).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
257
he knew absolutely nothing about this. And so both had their heads cut
off, with Addaeus stating at the moment of execution that, although he
had been falsely accused in these matters, he was justly suffering at the
hands of Justice which watches over whatever is done: for he had slain
Theodotus, the prefect of the palace, by witchcraft. Whether this was
the case I am unable to say, but they were both sinners, Addaeus as a
paederast, Aetherius because he had used every type of false accusation
and pillaged the property of both the living and the dead in the name of
the imperial household, of which he was in charge under Justinian. And
this matter ended thus. 8
4 Justin issued a proclamation to the Christians everywhere, in these
very words: 9
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, the emperor
Caesar Flavius Justin, faithful in Christ, mild, greatest, benefi¬
cent, Alamanicus, Gothicus, Germanicus, Anticus, Francicus,
8 For details of their careers, see PLRE III. 21-2, s. v. Aetherius 2, and 14-15: Addaeus
was currently city prefect, while Aetherius was curator of the domus of Antiochus, an im¬
portant unit of imperial properties. Aetherius had been accused of involvement in plots
against Justinian in 560 and 562, though proof was lacking on each occasion; in January
565 the two had collaborated in removing Patriarch Eutychius from office (the Life of Eu-
tychius naturally saw their fate as punishment: 2121-71, Laga, -PG 86chs. 76-7). Theodo¬
tus had died in office as praetorian prefect in 548; according to John of Nikiu (90.55-9)
Addaeus and Aetherius once offered Justinian the help of a magician whom they highly
esteemed.
Allen, Evagrius 211-12, suggested that their treason against Justin II may have involved
support for his cousin, so that the various deaths in 566 were linked; this is possible, but
unprovable.
9 The following doctrinal edict was the culmination of a series of protracted discussions
between different Monophysite groups, and between Monophysites and Chalcedonians in
the early years of Justin IPs reign. A first attempt at reconciliation had been rejected at a
rowdy meeting of Monophysite monks at Callinicum on the Euphrates, probably in 568;
discussions were continued in Constantinople, where Justin permitted Monophysite
bishops to suggest emendations to a draft of this edict; agreement was tantalizingly close
and some Monophysites agreed to subscribe to the edict, on the understanding that there
would be a public anathema on the Council of Chalcedon, but they were seriously embar¬
rassed when this was not forthcoming (John of Ephesus, EH i. 19-25). Justin then issued the
edict, probably in 571: Evagrius has failed to make this lapse of time clear. See Allen, Eva¬
grius 22-6, 212-14; Averil Cameron, ‘Policies’ 62^1; Frend, Rise 316-23. Evagrius is the
only Greek source for the edict, which is also preserved in Michael the Syrian x.4, II. pp.
295-9.
258
EVAGRIUS
Herulicus, Gepidicus, 10 pious, fortunate, glorious, victorious, tri¬
umphant, |198| eternally revered, Augustus. “I give you my
peace,” says the Lord Christ, our true God, “My peace I leave
you,” the same proclaims to all men. 11 This means nothing other
than that those who trust in Him come together in one and the
same Church, sharing the same views concerning the correct doc¬
trine of the Christians, but turning aside from those who speak
or think the opposite. For the profession of the correct faith is es¬
tablished for all men as the prime salvation. Wherefore we too,
following the Evangelists’ injunctions, and the holy creed or
teaching of the holy Fathers, urge everyone to come together
into one and the same Church and opinion, 12 since we trust in
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a consubstantial Trinity, a single
Divinity or nature and substance in word and deed, believing in
a single force and power and energy in three hypostases or
persons: into this we were baptized, in this we have trusted, and
with this we have been united. For we worship a unity in trinity
and a trinity in unity, having both a separation and a union that
is wondrous, a unity in respect of essence or divinity, but a trinity
in respect to its characters or hypostases or persons. For it is sepa¬
rated inseparably, so to speak, and is separably united. For the
Divinity is one in three, and the three are one, those things in
which the Divinity is, or to speak more precisely, which are the
Divinity. We worship the Father as God, the Son as God, the
Holy Spirit as God, whenever each person is considered by itself,
if the mind divides the indivisible; we worship as God the three
perceived in conjunction through the identity of their movement
and nature, since it is necessary both to confess the one God and
to proclaim the three hypostases or characters.
10 The imperial titles claim victories in the Balkans (Anticus, Herulicus, Gepidicus) and
the West, i.e. Italy (Alamanicus, Gothicus, Germanicus, Francicus); some successes had
been achieved on the Danube, where Sirmium was recovered in 566 and the Avars thwarted
in 570, but it is harder to justify the western victory titles since the Lombards overran much
of north Italy in the late 560s.
11 John 14.27.
12 The following confession of faith is taken, with very minor changes, from Justinian’s
edict of 551 (text in Schwartz, Schriften 72:13-74:16; 74:21-7; 76:37-78:1), to which Justin II
added two sections (199:26-34: 200:15-25) and the conclusion (200:16-201:11); see Grill-
meier, Christ II.2 486-9.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
259
We confess Him as the Only-begotten Son of God, God the
Word, who before the ages and outside time was begotten of the
Father, not created, but at the end of days for us and for our salva¬
tion came down |199] from the heavens, and was made flesh of the
Holy Spirit, and of our Lady, the holy, glorious, Mother of God
and ever-Virgin Mary, and was begotten from her. He who is our
Lord Jesus Christ, who is one of the holy Trinity, co-honoured
with the Father and the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Trinity did not
accept an addition of a fourth person, even when God the Word,
one of the Holy Trinity, was made flesh; but He is one and the
same, our Lord Jesus Christ, consubstantial with God and the
Father in respect of divinity, and the same consubstantial with us
in respect of humanity, the same capable of suffering in flesh and
incapable of suffering in divinity. For we do not acknowledge
that God the Word, who performed miracles, is different from
the one who suffered; but we confess as one and the same our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, who was made flesh and
became fully man, and that of one and the same being are the
miracles and the sufferings, which he voluntarily endured in the
flesh for the sake of our salvation. For it was not some man who
gave himself on our behalf, but God the Word Himself who,
without change, became man and accepted in the flesh the volun¬
tary suffering and death on our behalf.
Accordingly, although confessing Him as God, we do not
reject the fact of His also being man. And in confessing Him as
man, we do not deny the fact of His also being God. Hence,
while confessing our Lord Jesus Christ as one and the same com¬
pounded from the two natures, divinity and humanity, we do not
additionally introduce confusion in the union. For He did not
lose the fact of being God because he became man like us; nor
indeed did He reject the fact of being man because He is God by
nature, and holds likeness to us as inadmissible. 13 But as in
humanity He has remained God, so also He is no less man while
in pre-eminence of divinity, being both in the same, and being
13 This sentence, and the following lines down to the end of the Bidez-Parmentier page
(‘indeed compounded’), provide a summary of passages which Justin decided to omit from
Justinian’s edict; Justin’s language is less emphatic than Justinian’s in recognizing the two
natures in Christ.
260
EVAGRIUS
one, both God alike and man, the Emmanuel. And while confes¬
sing that the same is perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity,
the things from which Ele was indeed compounded, |200] we do
not inflict division into parts or severance on Elis one composite
hypostasis, but we signify the difference of natures, which is not
destroyed on account of the union. For neither was the divine
nature converted into the human, nor was the human nature
turned into the divine. But rather, with each being apprehended
and existing in the limit and definition of its own nature, we say
that the union has been made according to hypostasis. The union
according to hypostasis indicates that God the Word, that is one
hypostasis of the three hypostases of the Divinity, was not united
with a pre-existing man, but in the womb of our Lady, the holy
and glorious Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, Ele fashioned
for Elimself from Her in His own hypostasis flesh consubstantial
with us, alike in passions in every respect apart from sin, animated
with a rational and intelligent soul. For in Him 14 it retained the
hypostasis and became man, and is one and the same our Lord
Jesus Christ, co-honoured with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Considering His ineffable union, we correctly confess that one
nature of God the Word was made incarnate in flesh which was
animated with a rational and intelligent soul. And again, taking
into consideration the difference of the natures, we say that they
are two, while introducing no division at all. For each nature is
in Him. Hence we confess one and the same Christ, one Son, one
person, one hypostasis , alike God and man.
All those who have held or hold opinions contrary to these we
anathematize, judging them to be estranged from the holy univer¬
sal and apostolic Church of God. Accordingly, while the correct
doctrines that have been transmitted to us by the holy Fathers are
being proclaimed, we enjoin all of you to come together in one
and the same universal and apostolic Church, or rather indeed we
14 As Festugiere observes (418 n. 11) the word ab-ctb refers to the composite figure of
Christ which Justin has just been describing. The remainder of this paragraph represents
Justin’s second significant change to Justinian’s edict: the intention was to emphasize that
the hypostasis of God the Word has become incarnate, and it represents a slight shift in
Justinian’s Christological position towards a one-nature formulation, since the unity of
Christ is constantly stressed even while the theoretical distinction of the two natures is
noted.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
261
beseech you for |2011 even though we occupy the pre-eminence of
imperial rule, we would not shrink from using such words on
behalf of the harmony and union of all Christians which results
from there being offered to our great God and Saviour, Jesus
Christ, a single creed for all - that hereafter no one should profess
to dispute about persons and syllables, because the syllables lead
to one and the same correct understanding and faith. 15 The
custom and practice that has prevailed until now in the holy uni¬
versal and apostolic Church of God is steadfast and unchanged
through everything, and persists for the whole of time hereafter.
And so everyone consented to this edict, saying that its expressions
were orthodox; but none of the parts which had broken off was comple¬
tely united, because it was explicitly indicated that the steadfast and
unchanged state was defended by the churches, and would be in the
course of time hereafter. 16
5 Justin also expelled Anastasius from the see of Theopolis, bringing as
an accusation against him the expenditure of holy monies that had
occurred, which he said was unbounded and for unsuitable purposes;
also that he had blasphemed against him. For when Anastasius was
asked why he dispersed the holy monies with such abandon, he publicly
stated that it was to avoid their removal by the common pest Justin. He
is said to have been angry with Anastasius because the latter, on being
ordained to the bishopric, had refused to give him money when he
asked. Other matters too were alleged against him by people who, I
suppose, wished to serve the emperor’s design. 17
15 A reference to the dispute between Chalcedonians and Monophysites which revolved
around (he words ev and ek: cf. Evagrius i.l with nn. 12-13; ii.5, pp. 52:27-53:20.
16 The imperial edict expounded the neo-Chalcedonian doctrinal position, but in lan¬
guage slanted towards the ‘one nature’ position and with no mention of the offending
Council: on theological grounds it was acceptable to Monophysite bishops at Constantino¬
ple, even if the more rigorous Monophysite monks in the east would probably have rejected
it. The final sentence, which proclaimed the maintenance of the status quo in the churches,
had been added at the insistence of Justin’s anti-Monophysite advisers, according to John of
Ephesus (EH i. 19; it is omitted from the version in Michael the Syrian x.4, II. p. 299). This
tacitly, but effectively, guaranteed that Chalcedon would still be accepted as an orthodox
Council and, coupled with the absence of any oral condemnation of Chalcedon, ensured
that the Monophysite ‘separatists’ remained unreconciled.
17 Anastasius had been appointed to the see of Antioch in 559, when the future Justin II
was already a person of influence at court, and there may be some truth in the allegation that
262
EVAGRIUS
6 After him Gregory ascended to the priestly throne. His fame was wide¬
spread, to speak poetically, 18 since from earliest youth he had stripped
for the monastic trials and had contended so resolutely and steadfastly
that with all speed, [202] from the time he became a man, he proceeded
to the uppermost levels. He was leader of the monastery of the Byzan¬
tines, in which he had chosen the life without possessions, 19 and on the
orders of Justin also that of Mount Sinai. There he encountered very
great dangers, since he endured a siege by the Scenite barbarians; but,
when he had nevertheless succeeded in bringing the greatest peace to the
said place, he was called from there to the archbishopric. 20
He was in intellect and spiritual virtue absolutely supreme among all,
most energetic in whatever he embarked on, invulnerable to fear, and
most unsusceptible to yielding or cowering before power. 21 He made
donations of money with such munificence, employing liberality and
generosity on all occasions, that whenever he went out in public, great
numbers followed after him, even apart from his normal companions,
and all who saw or learned of his approach flocked together. And
(heir mutual dislike originated then, but more recent grievances must have been more
powerful. He was deposed in 570. According to Theophanes, 243:24-9, he had objected to
Ihe consecration of John as patriarch of Alexandria by John scholasticus of Constantinople.
Allen, Evagrius 214-17, argues that Evagrius has deliberately concealed the full circum¬
stances of the deposition, which may have involved Anastasius’ considerable prestige as an
intermediary between the different doctrinal groups (to Monophysites he was acceptable as
an adjudicator in their disputes, and even, under certain conditions, as patriarch of
Antioch), as well as his willingness to oppose imperial wishes.
18 Odyssey 1.344; cf. i.15 for the conceit.
19 Evagrius’ standard expression for the monastic existence, cf. ii.9, p. 61:10; v.16, p.
212 : 12 .
20 The monastery of the Byzantines was located at Jerusalem (Vailhe, ‘Repertoire’ 518—
19); Moschus, in an anecdote datable to 564, records that Gregory was abbot of the
monastery of Pharan, just to the north of Jerusalem (Pratum Spirituale 139: an anchorite
predicted his elevation to patriarch). Justinian had built a fort at the base of Mount Sinai in
an attempt to keep control of the Arabs (Procopius, Buildings v.8.9), but the statement by
the western pilgrim, Antoninus Placentinus (Itinerary 38), that the Arabs had placed a
marble idol on Mount Sinai and maintained a priest there, coupled with evidence for Arab
attacks on pilgrims and the monastery itself, indicates that imperial authority was not fully
recognized.
21 Moschus (Pratum Spirituale 140) records that some old monks, in discussion, agreed
that Gregory excelled in the virtues of almsgiving, forgiveness, tears and compassion
towards sinners. Evagrius, of course, had for long been employed by Gregory, so that his
praise must be read accordingly.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
263
regard for such great office was secondary to honour for the man, since of
their own free will people generally desired to see him at close quarters
and to hear his discussion. 22 For he was most capable of producing a
longing for himself in everyone, however they encountered him; he was
admirable in appearance, most pleasantly sweet in utterance, sharp as
any man in instantaneous perception, most particularly sharp in action,
and most capable of devising excellent counsel and judging his own
affairs and those of others. 23 Hence indeed he achieved so much, putting
off nothing to the morrow. In dealing with everything without delay, as
necessity summoned and opportunity complied, he astounded not only
the Roman emperors but also the Persian, as I shall show in appropriate
manner for each. There was in him much vehemence, and sometimes
even passion, but again kindliness and gentleness in no small measure
but to a considerable excess. Hence there applied most excellently to
him the sentiments devised by Gregory the Theologian, ‘austerity
mingled with modesty’, 24 |203| so that the one was not damaged by the
other, but both had renown through one another.
7 While this man was in his first year of directing the bishopric, 25 men
came from what of old was referred to as Great Armenia, but subse¬
quently Persarmenia - this was formerly subject to the Romans, but
when Philip the successor of Gordian betrayed it to Sapor, what was
called Lesser Armenia was controlled by the Romans but all the rest by
the Persians. 26 They professed Christianity and, since they suffered
22 For praise of generosity, cf. ii.l, p. 38:10-13 (Marcian); v.13, p. 209:12-19 (Tiberius).
Evagrius’ assertion that people flocked to Gregory to see and hear him seems very defensive:
Gregory was not the most popular of patriarchs (cf. v.18; vi.7), and there may have been
accusations that he used the wealth of his see to purchase public favour: John of Ephesus
(EHv. 17) claimed that he used bribery to escape accusations of sexual misconduct.
23 Gregory’s energy in handling affairs, oratory and capacity for planning were demon¬
strated in his resolution of the eastern mutiny and his involvement with Khusro II (vi.l 1-14,
18); for similar praise of Domitian of Melitene, cf. vi.18. See further Whitby, ‘Patriarchs'.
24 Bidez-Parmentier cite Gregory of Nyssa, PG 44, col. 249A (De Opificio Humani 30),
though the wording is somewhat different.
25 I.e. 570/1.
26 Armenia had been a source of contention between Romans and Parthians or Sasanids
since the days of Augustus. The emperor Philip had been forced to make concessions to
Shapur I in 244, in order to extricate the Roman army from Persian territory after the
death of Gordian, but there is no evidence that these included a partition of Armenia. The
allegiance of Armenia in fact remained an issue for most of the fourth century: Diocletian’s
agreement with Narses in 298 placed the Romans in control, but in 363 Jovian had to agree
264
EVAGRIUS
ill-treatment from the Persians, and particularly as concerned their own
belief, they secretly sent an embassy to Justin to beg to become subjects
of the Romans, so that they might without fear perform their honours
to God, with nobody being an impediment to them. 27 After Justin
admitted them, and certain matters had been agreed in letters by the
emperor and confirmed by solemn oaths, the Armenians murdered their
rulers and en masse attached themselves to the Roman realm, together
with their neighbours, both kinsmen and those of different race, with
whom they were allied; Vardanes was pre-eminent among them in birth
and reputation and military experience. 28 Then, when Chosroes made
representations about these, Justin sent to him saying that the peace had
been terminated, and that he was unable to turn away Christians who
had fled to Christians in time of war. This was his reply. 29 Nevertheless
that the Romans would no longer help the Armenians against the Persians. A more perma¬
nent division into spheres of influence was achieved by Theodosius I in 387, when the
Romans and Persians annexed the territories of the brothers Arsaces and Tigranes, who
were rival claimants to the throne; whether Evagrius has deliberately transferred responsi¬
bility from the orthodox Theodosius to the pagan Philip is questionable.
27 The complaints of the Armenian Christians about religious persecution are recorded
in John of Ephesus, EH ii.20. They claimed that Khusro had been inspired by the magi to
impose a single religion throughout his kingdom, which would have contravened the guar¬
antee of religious freedom in the 50 Years Peace of 561/2, and their fears appeared to be
corroborated by the determination of the local marzban (the Persian governor) to construct
a fire temple. Although the Armenians were Monophysites, they received communion from
the Chalcedonian patriarch at Constantinople until they were reproached by some of their
fellow countrymen; thereafter they withdrew to worship by themselves (John of Ephesus,
EH ii.23).
28 The Armenians murdered the marzban, Suren, in February 572. It is not known what
guarantees Justin had provided, but he may have promised military help, and it is perhaps
no coincidence that the patrician Justinian was already at Theodosiopolis, near the frontier,
at the time of the revolt. Among the neighbouring Caucasian tribes, the Colchians, Abasgi
and Alans supported the Armenians in the subsequent fighting. Vardan, son of Vasak, be¬
longed to the noble house of the Mamikonians (PLRE III. 1365); his grandfather, also called
Vardan, had been the governor of Armenia in the early sixth century.
29 The embassy, conducted by the Persian Christian Sebukht, is described in Menander
fr. 16.1. Khusro, in spite of the Armenian revolt and Roman support for the rebels, preferred
to ignore the breakdown of the peace and sent Sebukht to collect the annual payment due
under the terms of the 50 Years Peace; Justin, whose Roman pride made him reluctant to
pay money to foreigners, was also encouraged to oppose the Persians by the prospect of an
alliance with the Turks of Central Asia, so that a co-ordinated attack could be launched
against different frontiers. Justin had two minor grievances to advance as proof that the
Persians had already broken the peace: there had been an attempt to interfere with the
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
265
he made no preparations for war, but gave himself over to his customary
luxury, placing everything second to his personal pleasures. 30
8 As general of the East he sent out Marcian, who was related to him,
giving him neither an army fit for battle nor any other equipment for
war. He reached Mesopotamia, for the manifest peril and ruination of
everything, trailing after him a very few soldiers, and those unarmed,
having also some farm workers and herdsmen who had been drawn
from the tax-payers. 31 And so he had a few engagements against the
Persians near |204| Nisibis, since the Persians were not yet prepared
either. Gaining the upper hand he invested the city, though the Persians
did not judge it necessary to shut the gates, but rather hurled extremely
shameful insults at the Roman army. 32
Many other portents indeed were seen which disclosed the coming
Roman embassy which returned from the Turkish Chagan in 571, and the Persians had also
intervened against the Himyarites in the Arabian peninsula. In response to Justin’s protes¬
tations about the need to support fellow Christians, Sebukht was able to counter that any
invasion of Persia would also mean death and destruction for the numerous Christians who
lived there. See further, Whitby, Maurice 250^1.
30 Cf. iii. 1, 3 for similar criticism of Zeno. Justin’s dealings with the Turks could, in fact,
be construed as strategic preparations.
31 For discussion of recruitment practices, which still included the type of conscription
described here ‘from the tax-payers’, sk kbv cruvT£A,(bv, see Whitby, ‘Recruitment’ 75-87;
Stein, Studien 51 n. 7, claimed that these recruits were only non-combatant support person¬
nel, but that is unlikely.
32 Marcian, nephew of Justinian and cousin of Justin (PLRE III. 821-3, s. v. Marcianus
7), was sent to the East as magister militum per Orientem in autumn 572. He promptly sent
3,000 troops on a raid into Arzanene, bul otherwise took no hostile initiatives until the fol¬
lowing spring, when he defeated the Persians to the west of Nisibis; thereafter he laid siege to
Thebothon, to the south, and then, after Easter, to Nisibis itself, on the explicit orders of
Justin. The success of the attack is disputed, since, in contrast to Evagrius’ negative assess¬
ment, John of Ephesus (EH vi.2) asserts that Marcian was on the point of capturing the city
when he was replaced as commander. See further, Whitby, Maurice 254—6.
Evagrius is highly critical of Justin’s competence as emperor (cf. v. 1, with n. 3 above), and
the pessimistic presentation of the military forces available to Marcian is part of this ten¬
dency. Marcian would have been expected to use the troops already stationed in the eastern
provinces, and so might only have brought his personal bodyguard to the East, in addition
to any troops that he had been permitted to conscript in order to bring the eastern contin¬
gents up to strength. The rural population was traditionally regarded as the best source of
recruits, and basic military training would soon turn the farmers and herdsmen into compe¬
tent soldiers.
266
EVAGRIUS
troubles, and at the outset of the war we saw a newly-born calf on which
two heads sprang from its neck.
9 Chosroes, after he had made himself sufficiently ready for the war,
conducted Adarmaanes for a certain distance, sent him across the
Euphrates in his own land, and released him into the Roman domain
through the place called Circesium. Circesium is a town that is most stra¬
tegic for the Romans, being situated at the extremities of the state; not
only do its walls, which are raised up to an immeasurable height, make
it strong, but also the rivers Euphrates and Aboras which encircle and,
as it were, make the city an island. But Chosroes himself with his men
crossed the river Tigris and marched towards Nisibis. 33 These events
escaped Roman notice for a long time, with the result that Justin, trusting
a rumour which said that Chosroes was either dead or at his very last
gasp, grew angry at the apparent slowness of the siege of Nisibis, and
sent men to urge on Marcian and bring the keys of the gates as quickly
as possible. 34 But that the affair was making absolutely no progress at
all - or rather, indeed, that he incurred great disgrace in seeking the
impossible at such a great city as this, and with so inconsequential an
army - was reported first to Gregory, the bishop of Theopolis. For the
bishop of Nisibis was a particular friend |205] of Gregory, since he had
been honoured by him with great gifts, quite apart from his annoyance
33 This account of the opening of Khusro’s 573 campaign is rendered almost unintelligi¬
ble by geographical inaccuracies; were it not for the survival of a clearer account in John of
Epiphania (4-5; followed by Theophylact iii. 10.6-7), it would be very difficult to reconstruct
Ihe sequence of events. In order to surprise the Roman army outside Nisibis, and at the same
time outflank the Roman defenders and slip a raiding party into Syria, Khusro chose to
march up the east bank of the Euphrates rather than the more normal invasion route
which led up the Tigris to a crossing point near Fechkhabour and then west through north¬
ern Mesopotamia (on these, see Whitby, Maurice 199-200).
The Roman frontier fortress of Circesium was located at the confluence of the Euphrates
and Khabour (on its strong site and Justinian’s constructions, see Procopius, Buildings
ii.6.1-11); a few days’ journey to the south of the fort, Khusro dispatched 6,000 troops
under Adarmahan across the Euphrates to attack Syria, while the main part of the army
accompanied Khusro up the Khabour towards Nisibis. See further, Whitby, Maurice 256-
7.
34 The recovery of Nisibis, which the Romans had surrendered to the Persians after Ju¬
lian’s death in 363, seems to have been a particular objective for Justin since he revived
Roman claims to the city (Chron. 1234 65): after Marcian had abandoned the siege of The-
bothon and returned to Roman territory for Easter 573, Justin sent messengers to instruct
him to attack Nisibis; he presumably kept in regular touch with the progress of Ihe siege.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
267
at the Persian insolence towards Christians, which they had constantly
experienced from them, and his desire that his own city should be
subject to the Romans; he provided Gregory with knowledge of every¬
thing that occurred beyond the frontier, describing everything at the
appropriate moment. Gregory immediately reported this to Justin, noti¬
fying him as quickly as possible of Chosroes’ approach. 35
But he, wallowing in his customary pleasures, paid no attention to the
letters and was unwilling to trust them, since he indulged in wishful
thinking. For ignobility is characteristic of dissolute people as well as
rashness about results, but incredulity if they should happen to turn out
contrary to their wishes. 36 So Justin wrote to Gregory, completely
dismissing these matters as being utterly false, but that if they were true
the Persians would not be able to anticipate the siege or, if they did that,
they would come off in a sorry state. 37 And he sent out to Marcian
Acacius, a reckless and arrogant man, with instructions to relieve
Marcian of his command, even if he had already set one of his two feet in
the city. This indeed he performed exactly, administering the emperor’s
commands without regard for expediency. For, on reaching the camp, he
dismissed Marcian from his command in enemy territory, but made no
announcement to the army. 38 The captains and brigadiers, on learning
35 For discussion, see Lee, ‘Evagrius’. The bishop, Paul, had visited Constantinople for
doctrinal discussions in 562, and had subsequently been one of the beneficiaries of Gre¬
gory’s famous munificence. The civilian population of Nisibis, which was largely Christian,
did on occasions show signs of disloyalty to the Persians, and in 572 the local Persian
marzban expelled all Christians from the city as he made preparations to withstand a siege
( Chron. 1234 65).
Isho-Yahb of Arzun is a counter-example of a Nestorian bishop in a frontier city who
supplied information lo the Persians (Chron. Seert 42, p. 438), and in due course he was
rewarded by being made catholicus of the Christians in Persia by Hormizd.
36 Cf. criticism of Zeno’s despondency (iii.3), and v.ll for the consequences of such
wishful thinking; contrast the effectiveness of the disciplined Maurice (v.19).
37 Even the well-informed Gregory is unlikely to have had much notice of Khusro’s rapid
approach, since the Persian king took trouble to keep his movements as secret as possible. The
Roman attack on Nisibis did not begin until mid-April and lasted for less than a month,
which gives little time for the transmission to Constantinople and back of news of its progress
and the threat from Khusro. Evagrius, with his overriding concern to criticize Justin for mis¬
management of the war, did not consider such complexities, which also bedevil other
accounts of the sequence of events in this campaign: see Whitby, Maurice 256-8.
38 Marcian’s replacement was probably to be Theodore Tzirus (Theophanes Byzanlinus
4), but he was not on hand to take over when Acacius (PLRE III. 9-10, s. v. Acacius 4) deliv¬
ered his insulting message.
268
EVAGRIUS
after the night had passed that their general had been dismissed, no longer
appeared before the troops, but withdrew and fled in different directions,
lifting the ridiculous siege. 39
And so Adarmaanes, with a considerable army of Persians and
Scenite barbarians, passed by Circesium and ravaged Roman posses¬
sions in every way |206] by burning and killing, neither contemplating
nor doing anything moderate. He captured forts and many villages with
no opposition, first because nobody held command, and then too
because with the soldiers blockaded in Dara by Chosroes the plundering
and attacks were committed with impunity. 40 And he even sent his men
to attack the city of the Theopolitans, for he did not approach it himself.
They were in fact repulsed contrary to all expectation, since nobody
remained in the city, or most exceedingly few, and the priest had fled
and secretly carried off the holy treasures, both because much of the
wall had collapsed, and because the populace had rebelled in its desire
to begin a revolution, as is accustomed to happen and particularly at
such moments. They themselves also fled, leaving the city deserted, with
absolutely nothing planned for counter-contrivance or counter-attack. 41
10 And so since Adarmaanes failed in this attempt, he burnt the place
which of old was named Heracleia but subsequently Gangalike, and
captured Apamea, a city established by Seleucus Nicanor, which of old
39 The main problem for the Romans was that Khusro happened to be approaching
Nisibis from the south just as Acacius arrived to announce the removal of their leader. As
a result there was a disorderly flight towards Dara and Mardin, with most of the siege equip¬
ment being abandoned for reuse by the Persians.
Festugiere (426) translates as ‘the mass of the troops refused to advance further', and he
then takes 'the troops’ as the subject of the next clauses. But it is preferable to interpret both
parts of the psv ... 6 e construction as describing the officers’ reactions to the discovery of
Marcian’s dismissal: they were no longer visible to give a lead to their troops, but instead
saved themselves - to be followed by the leaderless rank and file.
40 Roman forces were now in complete disarray: apart from the substantial garrison at
Dara, the shattered remnants of Marcian’s army had taken refuge at Mardin, where they
were commanded by the imperial treasurer, Magnus (John of Epiphania 5), on whom see
further n. 43 below.
41 According to John of Epiphania (4; also Theophylact iii.10.8), Adarmahan’s forces
destroyed the rich suburbs of Antioch; this might suggest that the city’s defences were
rather more effective than Evagrius claims: he may well have exaggerated their dilapidation
(cf. Whitby, ‘Antioch’ 539-42; also vi.8 with n. 31 below), in order to explain the flight of his
patron, Gregory. For other indications of Gregory’s unpopularity with sections of the
urban population (in spite of the encomium in v.6), see vi.7.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
269
was prosperous and populous but which had been largely ruined by time.
After taking over the city on certain conditions, since they had been
unable to resist as the wall was lying on the ground through age, he burnt
it completely and pillaged everything contrary to the agreements; he
departed and went away, after enslaving the city and the adjacent
districts. Among the captives he led away both the city’s priest and the
man who supervised the government. 42 He also carried out every atrocity
during the withdrawal, since there was nobody to restrain or resist him at
all, except for an extremely small army sent out by Justin under the
command of Magnus, who had formerly been controller of a bank in the
emperor’s city but had later been entrusted by Justin with one of the
imperial domains; [207| these indeed fled headlong and came close to
being taken as prisoners. 43
And so Adarmaanes, after accomplishing these things, joined Chos-
roes who had not yet finished besieging the city. 44 His addition gave
them a great advantage, encouraging his own side and disheartening the
opposition. He found that the city had been blockaded and that a large
mound had been heaped up near the wall and many siege engines
42 Heraclea: near Beroe, though the precise location is unknown; J. D. Grainger, The
Cities of SeleukidSyria (Oxford, 1990) 103.
Apamea was one of Ihe four great cities of Seleucid Syria, founded by the first of the
dynasty, Seleucus Nicator in the early third century BC. Khusro I had removed a substan¬
tial amount of wealth when he was admitted to Ihe city in 540, but had not damaged the
buildings (cf. iv.26 above, where Evagrius mentions the destruction by Adarmahan of the
painting of the miracle of the Cross). John of Epiphania (4, followed by Theophylact
iii.10.9) states that a ransom was agreed for the city, but Adarmahan then went back on his
word; John of Ephesus (EH vi.6) also refers to Persian duplicity, and says that substantial
plunder was found in the city, since it was full of ancient wealth (for its current splendour, cf.
also Antoninus Placentinus, Itinerary 46); the haul of captives was allegedly 292,000. The
current archaeological investigations, conducted by J. and J. C. Baity, suggest that the city
did enjoy considerable prosperity until 573, and that there was limited rebuilding thereafter.
43 Magnus (PLRE III. 805-7, s. v. Magnus 2) was a financial administrator, being succes¬
sively comes sacrarum largitionum, and curator of the imperial estates of Marina and Hor-
misdas during the reigns of Justin and Tiberius (see Feissel, ‘Magnus’; and on the domus
divinae, Kaplan, Homines 140-2). However, he was a native of Syria, and was also trusted
by al-Mundhir, the Ghassanid leader, and the latter factor perhaps explains his presence as
a military commander in the East: al-Mundhir had fallen out with Justin, and was currently
refusing to participate in the war, so that Magnus may have been intended to heal the rift;
after their discomfiture, Magnus and his troops took refuge in Ihe mountain fortress of
Mardin (Whitby, Maurice 257-8).
44 I.e. Dara (the blockade has already been mentioned in v.9, p. 206:4-5).
270
EVAGRIUS
positioned, and especially catapults that custom calls stone-throwers,
which fire from vantage points. With these indeed Chosroes captured
the city by force during the winter season, since John son of Timostratus
who was in charge of it had devoted minimal attention or even acted trea¬
cherously: for both are said. Chosroes invested the city for five months
and more, with no interference. Accordingly he led forth everyone, a
countless number, some of whom he miserably slew while most he took
as prisoners; he occupied the city with a garrison since it was in a strategic
place, while he retired to his own territories. 45
11 When Justin had heard these events, after such delusion and preten¬
sion he had no healthy or sane thoughts, nor did he endure what had
happened like a mortal, but he fell into mental disorder and madness,
and thereafter had no understanding of events. 46 Tiberius administered
the state, a Thracian by race, who held the most important positions
under Justin; the latter had earlier sent him against the Avars, after gath¬
ering a great multitude of an army. He came close to capture since the
soldiers did not endure even the sight of the barbarians, but for the fact
that divine Providence miraculously preserved him and guarded him for
the Roman rule, which, together with the whole state as well, was in
danger of collapsing from the unreasonable enterprises of Justin and of
relinquishing such a great realm to the barbarians. 47
45 Throughout Adarmahan’s raid into Syria, Khusro was occupied with the siege of
Dara, the most important Roman fortress in the frontier region (Whitby. ‘Dara’). There is a
long account of the siege and capture of the city in John of Ephesus, EHv i.5: Khusro was able
to use the Roman siege equipment captured outside Nisibis, which included several stone-
throwers; he managed to divert the city’s water supply, and to build a mound that overtopped
the northern part of the defences; in November 573 he eventually exploited a moment when
the walls were poorly manned, the Persians scaled the defences and gradually gained the
upper hand; the desperate Roman resistance was ended by an agreement allowing the
Persian army into the city, though the Persians promptly broke their side of the bargain.
John, son of Timostratus (PLRE III. 675, s. v. Ioannes 87), is described by John of Ephesus
as a warlike man; the only hint of Roman treachery in John’s account is the failure of the
negotiator, Comes (perhaps a title rather than a name), to report to the defenders that
Khusro was prepared to accept a ransom of 500 pounds of gold.
46 The news of the loss of Dara will have travelled to Constantinople very rapidly, and
would have been known to Justin before the end of November. There is a long account of
Justin’s madness in John of Ephesus (EH iii.2-5); he apparently had occasional lucid spells.
For criticism of those unable to cope with sudden changes of fortune, cf. v.14-15, pp.
210:18-19, 211:22-33 (Khusro I), and contrast the resilience of Maurice (vi.17).
47 Tiberius (PLRE III. 1323-6, .s.v. Tiberius 1) had been introduced to Justin by
Patriarch Eutychius; he was comes excubitorum at Justinian’s death, and so was well
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
271
12 He therefore devised a plan which was opportune and |208] appro¬
priate for the situation, which rectified the whole error. For they
dispatched to Chosroes Trajan, an eloquent man from the senatorial
council, honoured by all for his years and intelligence. He was not to
perform the embassy as a representative of the imperial power, nor even
indeed of the state, but was to conduct discussions on behalf of Sophia
alone. And she herself had written to Chosroes, bewailing her husband’s
misfortunes and the state’s lack of a leader, and saying that he ought not
to trample upon a widowed woman, a prostrate emperor and a deserted
state; for indeed when he had been sick not only had he obtained compar¬
able treatment, but the best doctors of all had also been sent to him by the
Roman state, and they in fact dispelled his sickness. Chosroes was
accordingly persuaded. And when he had been on the very point of
attacking Roman possessions, he made a truce for three years in the
eastern regions, although he decided that Armenia remain in its current
state, so that they might wage war there while no one troubled the
East. 48 When these things had been done in the east, Sirmium was
placed to smooth the succession for his patron. He conducted two campaigns against the
Avars, probably in 570/1 in the context of Avar pressure on Sirmium; in the first he was
victorious, but the second resulted in defeat and flight, after which a treaty terminated hos¬
tilities (Menander fr. 15.5). After Justin’s madness the empress Sophia regarded him as a
loyal ally, even as a possible husband, and for a time they administered affairs jointly.
For the saving action of Providence, cf. ii.6, p. 53:30-1, v.18, p.214:5-6.
48 Evagrius has conflated two separate sets of negotiations, and hence produced a rather
confused account; considerable clarification is provided by Menander frr. 18.1-4, and see
Whitby, Maurice 258-61. Discussions were in fact initiated by Khusro, who saw an oppor¬
tunity to exploit the Roman crisis, and he dispatched Jacob (the name indicates that he was
a Persian Christian) with a haughty message; Sophia decided that a personal reply from
herself would be best, and she entrusted a letter for Khusro to one of the royal physicians,
Zachariah; he purchased a one-year truce (574—5), covering the East but excluding
Armenia, for 45,000 solicli, to permit time for formal negotiations for an end to the war.
The next stage of discussions was conducted by the quaestor Trajan (FLRE III. 1334, .s.v.
Traianus 3), in conjunction with Zachariah; after some haggling about the duration, a
truce for a further three years was agreed (575-8), again excluding Armenia, at a cost of
30,000 solidi per year.
Sophia’s initiative reflects her own dominant personality and the fact that, as niece of
Theodora, she was of imperial status in her own right: for discussion of her, see Averil
Cameron, ‘Empress’. Her appeal also illustrates the mutually supportive relationship that
existed between the two long-established enemies of the Near East, as well as the impor¬
tance of proper public behaviour by their respective rulers: on this see Whitby, Maurice,
204—6, 304-8; and ‘King’. During Justinian’s reign the doctor Tribunus (PLRE III. 1342,
272
EVAGRIUS
captured by the Avars; it had earlier been controlled by Gepids, but had
been handed over by them to Justin. 49
13 Meanwhile Justin, at the prompting of Sophia, proclaimed Tiberius
as Caesar, uttering such things at this announcement as have trans¬
cended all history, both ancient and modern, since the merciful God
gave Justin an opportunity both to declare his own errors and to suggest
good measures for the future benefit of the state. For after the archbishop
John, whom we have previously mentioned, and his entourage, and the
officials of rank, and those in military service around the palace had
been gathered in the open-air courtyard, where ancient custom states
that such matters take place, Justin clothed Tiberius in the imperial
robe, placed on him the cloak and, crying aloud, declared, ‘Let not |209|
the apparent dignity of the vestment mislead you, nor the illusion of
what is visible; seduced by these I did not realize that I had become
liable to the extreme penalties. Rectify my mistakes by leading the state
through all prosperity.’ And, indicating the officials, he said that he
ought to have the most minimal confidence in these, adding, ‘These
brought me to the state that you see’, and other similar matters which
brought everyone to amazement and a shedding of tears beyond
measure. 50
s. v. Tribunus 2) had twice visited Persia to cure Khusro; on the second occasion he remained
for a whole year, and secured the release of numerous captives on his return.
49 Evagrius’ chronology is somewhat confused. Sirmium, a former imperial capital
located between the Danube and Sava rivers, had been recovered from Ihe Gepids during
(heir confrontation with the Lombards at the start of Justin’s reign. The Avars, however,
claimed it on the grounds that they had been granted the Gepids’ possessions as booty in
return for assistance to the Lombards. In about 570, the Romans withstood Avar pressure
on the city, and in the mid-570s peace was secured by an annual payment to the Avar
Chagan. This arrangement broke down in 578, after the Avars managed to isolate the city
by constructing bridges over the Sava both upstream and downstream. Tiberius refused
demands to hand over Ihe city, but was unable to organize an effective relief force; after a
three-year blockade the city was surrendered in 581/2 (Menander frr. 25, 27; John of
Ephesus, £7/vi.30, 32).
50 The ceremony took place on Friday, 7 December 574. The location was probably the
Delphax, a sizeable courtyard with a tribunal, from which proclamations were made (also
known as the Tribunal of the Nineteen Couches, after the adjacent formal dining room); this
was Ihe site of the proclamation of Justinian as co-emperor in 527, and perhaps also of
Justin in 565, and was incorrectly assumed by Theophylact (i.1.2) to be where Maurice was
crowned in 582. See Averil Cameron, Corippus 156-7.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
273
Tiberius was indeed very tall in body and most exceptionally good-
looking, quite beyond compare not only with emperors but with
everyone even: thus from the start his appearance was worthy of sover¬
eignty. But in spirit he was both gentle and merciful, welcoming everyone
at once at first sight, considering wealth to be a sufficiency for everyone as
regards donations, not just with regard to need but also for superfluity.
For he did not consider what those in need ought to receive, but what it
befitted a Roman emperor to give, and he regarded as adulterated the
gold which had come in as a result of tears. Consequently, for example,
he remitted for the contributors the tax assessment of one entire year,
and the properties that Adarmaanes had ravaged he freed from the
imposed dues, not with regard to a measurement of the damage but
much more besides. Fie also excused the officials the illegal gifts by
which previously emperors had sold their subjects; and concerning these
matters he also wrote constitutions, and thereby made the future
secure. 51
14 Accordingly, employing for essential purposes the monies that had
been wickedly collected, he made preparations for the war; and he
collected such an army of heroic men, by recruiting the best men both
from the tribes beyond the Alps in the vicinity of the Rhine, and those
on this side of the Alps, the Massagetae and other Scythian nations, and
those near Paeonia, and Mysians, Illyrians and Isaurians, that |210] he
established squadrons of excellent horsemen almost 150,000 in
The ceremony and speech are recorded at greatest length by John of Ephesus (EH iii.5),
who states that notaries made records of what occurred, as well as by Theophylact (iii.l 1.7—
13); the themes of the speech, which overlap with Evagrius’ own assessments of rulers (e.g.
Maurice: v.19; vi.l), were the need to avoid Justin’s own errors, to disregard the seductive
pomp and ceremony of imperial power, and to administer affairs diligently. See further
Averil Cameron, ‘Abdication’.
51 Tiberius’ generosity was famous, even notorious: see Averil Cameron, ‘Kaiserkritik’
12-14; John of Ephesus (EH iii.l 1) records that Sophia became so concerned about the de¬
pletion of the public finances that she removed from Tiberius the keys to the treasuries and
fixed an allowance for his liberality. In April 575 Tiberius issued a law which reduced tax
payments in gold by one quarter for each of the next four years (i.e. cumulatively a remission
of one whole year), but maintained payments in kind (Novel 163). He had already legislated
in December 574 against the practice of demanding payments from officials for entry to
their posts (Novel 161). In each case Ihe preface to the law briefly outlined the emperor’s
reasons for his decision. Cf. ii.l. p. 38:10-13, for praise of Marcian’s generosity; see also
Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’.
274
EVAGRIUS
number. 52 He repulsed Chosroes who, after the capture of Dara, had in
the summer immediately moved against Armenia and from there
directed his advance towards the city of Caesar, which is the capital of
the Cappadocians and the foremost of the cities there. This man so
despised the Roman realm that when the Caesar sent him an embassy
he did not deign to grant the ambassadors access to him, but ordered
them to follow him as far as the city of Caesar: for he said that he would
consider the embassy there. 53
Now when he saw opposite him the Roman army, which was organ¬
ized by Justinian, the brother of the Justin who had been miserably slain
by Justin, 54 meticulously equipped, the trumpets resounding the war
52 Although the number of recruits reported by Evagrius is fantastic, the major recruit¬
ment drive is also attested by Theophylact (iii. 12.3—4), and the results recorded in Theo-
phanes, who refers to an army of 15,000 men known as Tiberiani (251:24-7), and John of
Ephesus, who alleges that the general Justinian had command of an army of 60,000 Lom¬
bards (EH vi. 13). Literary considerations have, unfortunately, led Evagrius to dress up this
information on military recruitment in elaborately obscure language, but it would appear
that Tiberius was attempting to hire soldiers from all possible sources: Franks, Burgundians
and perhaps even Saxons from beyond the Alps, from within the Alps, i.e. Italy, Goths (Mas-
sagetae) and Lombards, Bulgars and Gepids from Pannonia and along the Danube, as well
as the empire’s own inhabitants from traditional recruiting grounds in the Balkans and
Isauria. For discussion of foreigners in Roman armies, see Whitby, ‘Recruitment’ 103-10.
53 Evagrius’ chronology is again at fault, partly as a result of his compression of the
process of negotiating the two truces in 574 and 575 (see n. 48 above): Dara had been cap¬
tured in November 573, but it was not until 576 that Khusro launched his grand invasion of
Armenia. Most of 574 had been occupied with discussions about peace, and Khusro
perhaps also needed time to assimilate the surprising successes of his 573 campaign and
dispose of the prisoners and booty; in 575, as the one-year truce came to an end, there was
skirmishing in Mesopotamia and the threat of a Persian invasion, but this was terminated
by the agreement of the three-year truce. The following year Khusro marched across Per-
sarmenia to Theodosiopolis, which he failed to capture, and then advanced towards Caesar¬
ea in Cappadocia, though he was forced to retire northwards towards Sebaste.
The Roman ambassador, Theodore son of Bacchus, was on a minor mission to thank
Khusro for his co-operation in arranging the three-year truce; he reached the frontier after
Khusro had set out for Theodosiopolis, and was then required to accompany the Persian
advance to that city; this was intended to strike terror into the Romans, though at a personal
level Khusro treated the envoy well (Menander, fr. 18.6). John of Ephesus (EH vi.8) also
records Khusro’s arrogant boast to the ambassador - but connects it with Theodosiopolis
- that the king would dismiss Theodore after he had entered the city and bathed there. Theo¬
dore was in fact given leave to depart after Khusro realized that he was not going to capture
Theodosiopolis. Discussion in Whitby, Maurice 260-5.
54 Justinian (PLRE III. 744-7, s.v. Iustinianus 3), was the younger brother of the mur¬
dered Justin; he was in command in Armenia when war broke out in 572, but had become
magister militumper Orientem by 575, when he thwarted the Persian threat to Mesopotamia.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
275
cry, the standards raised for battle, the soldiery bent on slaughter and
breathing rage though combined with exceptional good order, and
cavalry of such numbers and quality as no monarch had ever dreamed,
then with many appeals to the gods he groaned deeply at the unexpected
and unforeseen event, and was unwilling to begin battle. But as he was
deferring and delaying, wasting the opportunity and feigning a fight,
Cours a Scythian who commanded the right wing attacked him. Since
the Persians opposite him were incapable of enduring his onslaught and
had clearly abandoned their formation, he effected great slaughter on
his opponents. He also attacked the rear where Chosroes and his whole
army had their baggage; he captured absolutely all the royal treasures
as well indeed as the entire baggage, with Chosroes looking on and
enduring since he thought this more tolerable than that Cours should
turn against himself. 55
And so, after he and his men had become masters of great wealth
|211] and booty and carried off the baggage animals along with their
burdens, among which indeed was the sacred fire of Chosroes which he
regarded as god, he rode around the Persian camp chanting victoriously.
About the hour that lamps are lit he returned to his own side which had
already dissolved their formations, without either Chosroes or them
starting a fight, except that there had been some skirmishing and a
certain number of individual combats between men from the two
55 The most detailed account of these events is in John of Ephesus, EH vi.8-9, which
presents a rather different, and probably more accurate, account; the version of Evagrius
reappears, via the intermediary of John of Epiphania, in Theophylact, who gives a stylized
report of a ‘memorable' pitched battle (Theophylact iii. 12.12-14.11, complete with exhorta¬
tion by Justinian to his troops); on this, see Whitby, Maurice 265-6. The Romans did
manage to embarrass Khusro by capturing Ihe royal baggage, but this occurred when the
Persian army came close to being encircled in the Armenian mountains; Khusro lost his
baggage, the royal harem and his personal fire altar (Sebeos 1), but managed to extricate
his army and retreat towards the Euphrates at Melitene (Malatya); here, lack of
co-operation between the Roman commanders permitted Khusro to burn the undefended
city, but he was then challenged to battle on the plain between Melitene and the Euphrates;
the armies confronted each other, but without coming to grips, and during the night the
Persians tried to slip across the river. They were caught by the Romans, with the result that
half their army perished in the disorganized crossing.
Cours (PLRE III. 360-1), who was probably a Hun, served as a commander in Armenia
from 574 until at least 582. Although Cours may well have participated in the pillaging of
Khusro’s camp on this campaign, Evagrius has perhaps conflated this with another success
by Cours against a Persian army in Armenia, probably in 579, recorded by John of Ephesus
(EH\ i.28).
276
EVAGRIUS
armies, as normally happens. At night Chosroes lit many fires and
prepared for a night battle. As the Romans had two camps, he attacked
those on the northern side in the depths of the night. Since they withdrew
at this unexpected surprise, he attacked the nearby city of Melitene,
which was undefended and deserted by its inhabitants; and after
burning everything he prepared to cross the river Euphrates. But when
the combined Roman army followed, fearing for his own safety he
mounted an elephant and crossed the river, while the greater number of
his men were buried in the river’s currents. On realizing that they had
been drowned he set off and departed.
And so Chosroes, after paying this extreme penalty for such great
insolence towards the Romans, together with the survivors reached the
eastern regions where he had the truce, so that nobody might attack
him. 56 But Justinian with his entire army invaded the Persian kingdom
and spent the whole winter season there, with nobody causing him any
trouble whatsoever. Then he returned at about the summer solstice,
with no losses at all from his army, and spent the summer right on the
frontiers in great prosperity and glory. 57
15 A manifold grief overwhelmed Chosroes, who was distraught and
helpless and submerged by the ebb and flow of anguish; it miserably
deprived him of his life, after he had set up as an everlasting memorial
of his flight a law which he made that |212] a Persian king should no
longer campaign against the Romans. Elis son Elormisdas became king,
whom I must now leave aside, since the next matters summon me to
them and eagerly await the flow of the account. 58
56 John of Ephesus (EH vi.9) records that Khusro fled across Arzanene on his elephant,
and that a special road through the mountains of Carduchia had to be cut for the animal.
57 Justinian raided from Armenia (hence not covered by the truce) as far as the Caspian
Sea, and threatened one of the Persian royal capitals, probably in Azerbaijan (Theophylact
iii.15.1-2); after his return to Roman territory in 577, negotiations were pursued in order to
convert the truce into a permanent peace, but these discussions stalled when the Persian
general Tamkhusro defeated Justinian, whose troops had become over-confident, in an en¬
counter in Armenia. See Whitby, Maurice 267-8.
58 Evagrius has again compressed the chronology of events. Khusro died in February or
March 579, to be succeeded by Hormizd IV. According to Agathias (iv.29.8-10), Khusro’s
death had been brought on by the distressing sight of the Romans ravaging Arzanene the
previous year, which was visible from his summer retreat in Carduchia.
The law about royal campaigning is also recorded by Theophylact (iii.14.11), who says
that it prohibited all foreign expeditions by the king, and John of Ephesus (EH vi.9).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
277
16 When John, who was also called Catellinos, departed from the life
here, Bonosus was entrusted with the helm of the bishopric of Rome, and
after him another John, and in turn Pelagius. But for that of the queen
city, after John there was Eutychius, his predecessor. And after Apolli-
narius, John inherited the see of Alexandria, and after him Eulogius.
And to the episcopacy of Jerusalem after Macarius came John, who had
striven in the life without possessions in the monastery called that of the
Sleepless. There were no innovations in the state of the Church. 59
17 When Tiberius Caesar was steering the empire for the third year, at
precisely midday itself a violent agitation of the earth occurred in the
city of the Theopolitans and neighbouring Daphne. All Daphne indeed
fell victim to the shaking, while in Theopolis both public and private
buildings were split apart right to the ground, but did not, however, bow
their knee to the foundations. 60 There also occurred several other things
worthy of a long account, both in Theopolis itself and in the imperial
city, which threw both into confusion and whipped them up into the
greatest uproars; these had their origin in religious enthusiasm and had
a godly end, as I shall go on to tell.
18 A certain Anatolius, who originally was one of the masses and a
tradesman but who subsequently insinuated himself - how I do not
know - into official positions and other affairs, was residing in the city
of the Theopolitans, where indeed he pursued his current business
affairs. Through these he became a particular associate of Gregory, the
according to whom the king was only allowed to go out to fight against another king; this
last version, which is phrased in terms of the crucial factor of personal royal prestige, is
probably the most accurate. See Whitby, ‘King’ 227-8. Khusro was also troubled by
unrest in the Persian army, sparked off by the public failure of his recent campaign (Theo-
phylact iii.15.3 6).
59 At Rome, John III died in July 574, to be succeeded after almost a year’s interval by
Benedict (575-9), who was followed by Pelagius II (579-90); Ihe reference to a second John
is an error (cf. iv.39, with n. 138 above, for another error about the papal succession). At
Constantinople, John scliolasticus died on 31 August 577, and Tiberius brought back from
exile his predecessor Eutychius, who was a long-standing friend of the emperor. At Alexan¬
dria, Apollinarius was followed as Chalcedonian patriarch by John II (570-80) and Eulo¬
gius (581-608). Macarius of Jerusalem died in 574/5, to be succeeded by John IV (575-94).
There were no changes to report at Antioch.
60 This earthquake in 577 (Tiberius’ third year as Caesar) is not otherwise recorded.
278
EVAGRIUS
prelate of the said city, and he frequently visited him, both to discuss his
alfairs and |213] to solicit even greater power through his links with
him. 61 This man was caught in the act of sacrificing, and on being
summoned to account he was discovered to be an abomination, a
sorcerer, a man entangled in countless barbarities. But he bribed the
governor of the East and came close to being set free along with his
associates - for he had others too of similar habits who were appre¬
hended as well - but for the fact that the populace rose up, threw every¬
thing into commotion and disrupted the scheme. 62 They also chanted
against the priest, declaring that he too was associated with the plan.
Some disruptive and malignant Devil persuaded some people that he
had also participated in the sacrifices with Anatolius, and as a result
Gregory came into extreme danger, since great attacks were made on
him by the people. 63 The suspicion was raised to such an extent that
61 The subsequent events are also recorded by John of Ephesus, in greater detail but with
a pronounced Monophysite interest (EH iii.27-34). Although Evagrius’ narrative might
appear to deserve credence because he would have had access to numerous first-hand
accounts, and may well have been in Antioch during the disturbances, John refers to the
official records of the case and his greater circumstantial information about the development
of the incident in the East is credible. Evagrius has treated the initial stages of the scandal very
sketchily, to focus on what interested him, the threat to Gregory, the miraculous icon and the
eventual punishment of the pagans which was validated by various divine signs.
In contrast to his praise of Patriarch Anastasius (iv.40, pp. 190:31-191:6; also Maurice:
v.19, pp. 214:33-215:3), Evagrius does not compliment Gregory on discernment in selecting
his associates (v.6): Anatolius would be an example of his poor choice; see also Whitby. ‘Pa¬
triarchs’.
John describes Anatolius as a governor, presumably of Osrhoene since his official resi¬
dence was at Edessa, and deputy to the prefect, i.e. the praetorian prefect of the East (cf.
PLRE III. 72-3, s.v. Anatolius 8). The incident is discussed in Rochow ‘Heidenprozesse’,
and Trombley, ‘Transition’ 168-79.
62 In John of Ephesus (EH iii.27-8) the sequence of events is much more complicated.
The affair began at Heliopolis (Baalbek), a notoriously pagan city where Christians had
found it impossible to break the local monopoly of power exercised by rich pagans; an im¬
perial representative, Theophilus, conducted an investigation which revealed several
names, including that of a certain high priest Rufinus, who resided at Antioch; when men
were sent to Antioch to arrest him, they were told that he was at Edessa, staying with the
local governor and prefectal vicar, Anatolius. At Edessa, Theophilus’ emissaries came upon
a pagan celebration in Anatolius’ house; most of the celebrants escaped, but Rufinus com¬
mitted suicide, while Anatolius, in spite of a clever attempt to establish an alibi, was arrested
and bailed to answer the charge of pagan practice at Antioch.
63 Evagrius has already provided some evidence for popular disturbances at Antioch
(v.9, p. 206:11-12), and this further account of hostility towards the patriarch undermines
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
279
even the emperor Tiberius desired to learn the truth from the mouth of
Anatolius, and so he ordered that Anatolius and his associates should
come as quickly as possible to the emperor’s city. When Anatolius
learnt this, he rushed to an icon of the Mother of God which was
hanging in the prison by a small cord and, clasping his hands behind,
declared that he was a suppliant and petitioner. But She, in loathing,
convicted the polluted God-hating man and turned Herself completely
the opposite way round, a dreadful wonder and one worthy of remem¬
brance for ever. This was seen by all the prisoners, as well as by those
entrusted with the custody of him and his associates, and it was reported
to everyone. 64 She was also seen in a dream by some of the faithful,
inciting them against the miscreant and stating that Anatolius insulted
Her Son.
When he was brought to the emperor’s city, after undergoing every
extremity of torture he was unable to say anything at all against the
priest; together with his associates he became the cause of even greater
turmoil there, and of a riot of the whole populace in the city. For, after
some of them received a verdict of banishment as opposed to execution,
the people were enflamed by some divine enthusiasm and disrupted every¬
thing in their rage and anger. And, snatching those who had been
banished they embarked them on a small boat and |214] committed them
to the flames while alive, since the people had imposed this verdict. They
also denounced the emperor and their priest Eutychius, on the grounds
the account of Gregory’s popularity in Evagrius’ character sketch (v.6). According to John
of Ephesus (EH iii.29), Gregory was denounced by one of Anatolius’ secretaries, who, under
torture, alleged that together with the Chalcedonian patriarch of Alexandria, Eulogius,
Gregory had sacrificed a boy at Daphne; the sacrifice had produced a terrible quaking,
perhaps a reference to the recent earthquake of 577 which devastated Daphne (ch. 17). Feel¬
ings ran so high that Gregory did not dare leave his episcopal palace or celebrate the liturgy.
The Devil was a convenient device for explaining awkward events, especially those invol¬
ving individuals with whom the reporter sympathized.
64 In John of Ephesus (EH iii.29) the miracle of the icon is rather different: Anatolius
tried to convince people of his Christian convictions by bringing them to his house, where
there was an icon of Christ, but when he displayed this to the people the icon turned itself to
the wall; this happened three times, at which the icon was scrutinized closely and discovered
to have inside it on the back an image of Apollo; the icon was thrown to the ground and
trampled underfoot. Both BEL (442) and Festugiere (434) interpret the phrase ‘clasping
his hands behind’ to signify that Anatolius clasped his hands behind, or had them tied
behind, his back, but I am inclined to believe that he clasped the icon in his hands, clinging
tightly to it to secure its protection, so that its miraculous reversal was all the more striking.
280
EVAGRIUS
that they had betrayed the faith. They came close to making away with
Eutychius and those entrusted with the investigation, since they went
round everywhere and sought them out, but for the fact that Providence,
the salvation of everything, snatched those men away from those
searching and gradually assuaged the wrath of such a large multitude,
before any barbarity occurred at their hands. And Anatolius himself was
first committed to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre, and after his body
had been pulled apart by them, he was then impaled - though even thus
he did not find release from his punishments here, for wolves dragged
down his defiled body, something never recorded before, and divided it
up as a feast. 65 There was one of our number who, even before these
things happened, said that he saw in dreams that the verdict against
Anatolius and his associates had been granted to the populace. And a
great man who was in control of the royal households and who was a parti¬
cularly vigorous supporter of Anatolius, had said that he saw the Mother
of God saying for how long would he support Anatolius, who had so
insulted Herself and Her Son. 66 And these things ended thus. 67
65 Again there are more details of the trial and associated rioting in John of Ephesus (EH
iii.30-1); Ihe trial was held at Ihe palace of Placidia, in camera , which aroused suspicions,
and these were increased when Tiberius, who was known for his leniency in religious matters
(he had been happy to tolerate Arian worship until forced to act by the angry populace: John
of Ephesus, EH iii.26), left the city for a suburban palace. The mob threatened the patriar¬
chal palace, and then burst into the palace of Placidia, where, after much destruction, they
grabbed a man and a woman who had been arrested as pagans, and took them to the
harbour to be burnt in a boat (an unfortunate official was also put in the boat, but
managed to jump out and escape); the mob next approached the office of the praetorian
prefect, but he pacified them by promising to go and summon Tiberius back to the city.
Anatolius duly died through a combination of exposure to the beasts and crucifixion, but
Ihe inquisition continued for the rest of Tiberius’ reign, with cryptopagans being denounced
and punished (John of Ephesus, i?J/iii.33-4).
For saving Providence, cf. ii.6 with n. 86 above, v.ll with n. 47 above.
66 It is tempting to speculate that this curator domus divinae was Magnus (whose name
means ‘a great man’), who was curator of the palace of Hormisdas during Tiberius’ reign. As
a native of Syria and an important financial officer, he is the type of person who might have
had close contacts with Anatolius (cf. n. 43 above).
67 The Life of Symeon Stylites the Younger includes several allusions to prominent
pagans in Antioch and its vicinity, and to pagans who consulted the saint (chs. 57,125, 141.
143,157-8,161,184,188-9). These references may be intended to increase Symeon’s reputa¬
tion as a bastion of orthodoxy (Van den Ven, notes on Life 157), but they should not be
dismissed out of hand: there were probably several people whose religious position was
still ambivalent, and Baalbek demonstrates that even in a major city it was possible for
pagans to remain influential (cf. Allen, Evagrius 231-2).
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
281
19 But Tiberius, who had now been invested with the crown following the
death of Justin, terminated Justinian’s command since he did not enjoy
comparable fortune against the barbarians. And he appointed Maurice
general of the East, a man who derived his family and name from the
elder Rome, although from his immediate ancestry he registered his
homeland as Arabissus in the province of the Cappadocians. 68 JJe was
an intelligent and shrewd man, absolutely exact in all things and unshak¬
able. Being balanced and precise in lifestyle and habits, he was master
both of his belly, taking only what was necessary and readily available,
and also of all the other things in which the dissolute life takes pride. For
the masses, he was not easily accessible for petitions, nor of ready ear,
knowing that the one is conducive to contempt, the other leads to flattery.
|215] And so he provided access to himself sparingly, and this for serious
matters, while his ears he blocked to the superfluous, not with wax as in
poetry, 69 but rather with reason. Hence reason was an excellent key for
them, opening and closing them when appropriate in conversations. He
had so thrust away ignorance, the mother of boldness, and cowardice
which is foreigner but also a neighbour to her, that risks were prudence
and hesitation security. Since courage and wisdom were the charioteers
for opportunities and directed the reins towards whatever necessity
dictated, both relaxation and intensification of impulses happened in
him with a certain measure and rhythm. Concerning him there will be a
fuller account in what follows. His greatness and character I must
reserve for his reign, which revealed the man more clearly since through
absolute power it unfolded even his inner nature. 70
68 Justinian was defeated by the Persian Tamkhusro in Armenia in 577 (cf. n. 57 above),
but the new appointment was occasioned by his death and the subsequent squabbling
among his subordinates, according to John of Ephesus (EH vi.27). Maurice, a former
notary who had succeeded Tiberius as count of the excubitors, was then appointed magister
militumper Orientem by Tiberius, who was still Caesar; Tiberius was only crowned Augus¬
tus on 26 September 578, shortly before Justin’s death on 4 October. Maurice had no pre¬
vious military experience, but had been closely involved in the peace negotiations
throughout 577. There is no confirmation for Maurice’s alleged western origins, which
Stein (Studien 70-1) ascribed to Evagrius’ desire to flatter; Arabissus in Cappadocia,
however, benefited substantially from his patronage (John of Ephesus, EH v.22-3).
69 Odyssey 12.48.
70 For further praise of Maurice, cf. vi.l below; also Menander fr. 23.2 (which notes his
precision and wisdom); most of the specific attributes are illustrated through the narrative
of Maurice’s actions. For praise for inaccessibility, cf. iv.40 (Anastasius of Antioch).
Contrast the criticism of Zeno (iii.l, 3) and Justin (v.l), rulers who were mastered by their
282
EVAGRIUS
And so this Maurice, by making expeditions beyond the frontiers,
captured cities and forts which were most strategic for the Persians, and
appropriated so much plunder that the haul of captives populated whole
islands and cities, and fields deserted through time, and the land, which
had before been entirely uncultivated, was made productive. Substantial
armies were assembled from them which contended with great spirit and
courage against the other nations; and the need for servants was also
fulfilled at every hearth, since slaves were procured very cheaply. 71
20 He engaged with the foremost of the Persians, Tamchosroes and
Adarmaanes, who had invaded with a considerable army; and what
occurred, and how and in what manner, let others write, or perhaps it
will be recounted by me in another work, since the present undertaking
is explicitly devoted to other matters. [216] Be that as it may, Tamchos¬
roes fell in the encounter, not through the courage of the Roman army
but solely through its general’s devoutness and trust in God. Adar¬
maanes too fled headlong, after suffering defeat in the battle and losing
many of his own men - and that too even though Alamundarus, the
leader of the Scenite barbarians, was thoroughly treacherous, 72 and
refused to cross the Euphrates and fight alongside Maurice against the
Scenite Arabs among the opposition: 73 for on account of the speed of
circumstances because of the flaws in their characters (see also n. 61 above for Patriarch
Gregory). Discussion in Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’.
Evagrius’ description has been taken by Baldwin (‘Menander’ 103) to indicate that
Maurice was a reformed sinner, who had to keep his passions and appetites under control,
but this is to apply too subtle an interpretation to this panegyric.
71 Maurice arrived on the eastern frontier in spring 578 and, although initially discon¬
certed when the Persians anticipated the end of the three-year truce and invaded both
Armenia and Mesopotamia, he conducted a successful campaign in Arzanene, where he
captured the fortress of Aphum and thousands of prisoners, and then continued his
raiding in the vicinity of Nisibis and to the east of the Tigris; the captives were apparently
settled on Cyprus (Theophylact iii.15.11-16.2; John of Ephesus, EH vi.15). Discussion in
Whitby, Maurice 268-70.
72 Treachery was a standard aspect of the perception of Arabs (and other nomads): cf.
Menander frr. 9.1:67-9; 9.3:103; Theophylact iii.17.7.
73 This is another of Evagrius’ very confused accounts of military matters, which he
admits are not the primary concern of his ecclesiastical history; the excuse for this review
of Maurice’s achievements was, perhaps, that this success against great odds firmly demon¬
strated the future emperor’s piety. For the importance of the general’s piety in securing
victory, cf. Maurice, Strategicon viii.2.1.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
283
their horses these people are invincible for others, nor are they captured if
they should be enclosed somewhere, and they outrun their opponents
when retreating. Theoderic too, who was leader of the Scythian nations,
fled with those around him, even though he had not come within range. 74
21 There also occurred portents which presaged the imperial power for
him. 75 For, late at night, as he was offering incense within the shrine of
the sacred Church of the holy and immaculate Virgin and Mother of
God Mary, which is called by the people of Theopolis the Church of
Justinian, 76 the curtain around the holy table was engulfed in flames, so
Evagrius has in fact conflated the events of 581 and 582. In 581 Maurice led an expedition
down the Euphrates towards Ctesiphon, but was thwarted when he discovered that the
bridge over the Tigris had been cut; he was then forced to retreat rapidly by the news that
Adarmahan had invaded Mesopotamia; Adarmahan secured considerable booty, but with¬
drew hastily without the Romans being able to engage him. Maurice and the Ghassanid
leader al-Mundhir quarrelled over the failure of the campaign, with Maurice accusing the
Arab of treachery; al-Mundhir defeated his Lakhmid Arab opponents, but took no further
part in joint actions with Maurice; during the winter of 581/2 he was tricked into a meeting
with a friend, the curator Magnus, and was arrested and taken to Constantinople. In 582 the
Persians under Tamkhusro invaded, but were confronted by the Romans at Monocarton,
the military camp near Constantina; Tamkhusro was killed in the battle, either by an anon¬
ymous common soldier (Menander fr. 26.5) or through the self-sacrifice of a Christian hero
named Constantine (John of Ephesus, EH vi.26), and the Persians retreated to the vicinity
of Dara. Adarmahan may have participated in this battle, but there is no confirmation for
this in the other sources, and Evagrius may be conflating the events of 581; similarly, it is
possible that Theoderic (see below), who probably commanded the federate troops re¬
cruited by Tiberius in 574 (cf. PLRE III. 1237, x. v. Theodericus 2), had failed to collaborate
with Maurice in the campaign of 581, when there was a Roman reverse in Armenia as well as
the failed invasion of lower Mesopotamia. Discussion in Whitby, Maurice 272-4, and for a
different interpretation of al-Mundhir s behaviour, Shahid, Sixth Century 415, 418 (there is
some imprecision in Shahid’s presentation of the evidence).
Evagrius has also omitted the doctrinal initiative in which al-Mundhir was currently in¬
volved: he had travelled to Constantinople in 580, where he was honourably received by
Tiberius and tried to reconcile the different Monophysite factions in the patriarchate of
Antioch; he returned to the East with an edict from Tiberius ordering an end to all persecu¬
tion, which Patriarch Gregory promulgated in the East: John of Ephesus, EH iv.42; discus¬
sion in Shahid, Sixth Century 900-10.
74 The occasion of this flight cannot be determined: it could be Monocarton, but equally
it could have been during the campaign against Adarmahan in 581.
75 Cf. ii.l for predictions of Marcian’s accession.
76 This is most probably the church opposite the basilica of Rufinus, which Justinian
reconstructed after the earthquake of 527 (Malalas 423:1—4); Allen, Evagrius 236, links it
284
EVAGRIUS
that Maurice experienced surprise and astonishment and was terrified at
the sight. Gregory, the archbishop of the city, who was standing beside
him, stated that the event was a divine sign and indicated very great and
exceptional things for him. Christ our God also appeared in a waking
vision to him while in the East, seeking vengeance, which obviously
signified imperial power: for from whom other than an emperor, and one
who was so pious towards Him, would He have sought such things?
Those who brought him into the world also recounted to me remarkable
things, worthy of narration, when I was enquiring about these matters.
For his father said that at the time of his conception he saw in a dream an
enormous vine sprouting from his own bed, and that numerous perfect
bunches of grapes hung on it, while his mother stated that at the moment
of delivery the earth sent forth a strange, unparalleled sweet-scented
vapour; |217] also, although the thing called Empusa had often removed
the infant in order to eat it, she had never been able to harm it. 77 And
Symeon who made his station on a column near Theopolis, a most effica¬
cious person 78 and distinguished for all the divine virtues, said and did
many things which indicated imperial power for him. 79 Concerning him
the sequence of the history will relate what is appropriate. 80
22 Maurice ascended to the imperial power when Tiberius was drawing
his last breaths, and had transferred to him his daughter Augusta and
the empire in place of a dowry: whereas he lived for a very short time in
with the church to which Justinian presented a decorated toga in 529, the Church of Cassia-
nus in Malalas 450:16-18 (though the dedication of this church is unknown). The name
attests the impact on the city of Justinian’s reconstructions.
77 The father’s vision can be traced back to that of Astyages at the birth of his grandson,
the future Cyrus the Great (Herodotus i. 108). For a pleasant smell as a sign of sanctity, cf.
ii.3 on the aroma that emanated from the sarcophagus of S. Euphemia; for a ruler who
smelled sweet, cf. Plutarch, Alexander 4.2. Empusa was a foul-smelling hobgoblin who
was supposed to prey on travellers and children.
78 Festugiere (439 with n. 64) interprets TipatviiKtoxoaoi; as relating to Symeon’s ascetic
practice, but, since Evagrius is here dealing with a secular prediction, an allusion to his
general effectiveness in action is more apposite; also 7xpoiKxiKc6xo:xo<; does not imply
ascetic conduct.
79 In the Life of Symeon, there are predictions concerning Justin II, as well as the patri¬
archs John scholasticus and Anastasius of Antioch (chs. 202-11), but none for Maurice.
Theodore of Sykeon (Life ch. 54) and Patriarch Eutychius (Life 1900-45, Laga, = PG 86,
chs. 67-9) also predicted Maurice’s accession.
80 Evagrius surveys Symeon’s career in vi.23.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
285
the imperial rule, he left behind an immortal memory for the good deeds
he accomplished: for this cannot be comprehended in speech. Tiberius
also left behind an excellent bequest for the state in the proclamation of
Maurice. He also apportioned his own appellations, naming Maurice
Tiberius and Augusta Constantina. What indeed was done by them the
sequence of the history will reveal, if divine assistance collaborates. 81
23 In order also that there may be a record of the times with complete
accuracy, let it be known that Justin the younger reigned by himself for
twelve years and ten-and-a-half months, and with Tiberius for three
years and nine months, in all for sixteen years and eleven-and-a-half
months. Tiberius ruled by himself for four years. Thus, to add up from
Romulus until the proclamation of Maurice Tiberius,... as the
preceding and current years have revealed. 82
24 With the help of God the history of the Church has been set out for us
in comprehensible form through what has been narrated by Eusebius son
of Pamphilus down to Constantine, and from [218] him down to Theodo¬
sius the younger by Theodoret, Sozomen and Socrates, and by those
things which our current labour has related. 83 Archaic and profane
history has been preserved in sequence by diligent people: for on the one
hand Moses initiated history and narrative, as has been clearly demon¬
strated by those who have collected material about this, and wrote
81 Maurice was elevated to the rank of Caesar and betrothed to Tiberius’ daughter on 5
August 582, and on 13 August, the day before Tiberius died, he was proclaimed successor. In
his desire to emphasize the antithetical apportionment of names, Evagrius has perhaps in¬
verted the names of Tiberius’ daughter, since she was probably called Constantina rather
than the somewhat presumptuous Augusta: see Whitby, ‘Constantine’.
Marcian was another emperor who reigned for a short time but left behind an imperial
memorial (ii.8, p. 55:12-13), in his case the Council of Chalcedon: thus Tiberius might be
equated with the creator of orthodoxy (with whom he shared other characteristics such as
generosity), and Maurice with the event that established that orthodoxy.
82 For the custom of writers to use a chronological computation to mark the start of the
reign of the emperor under whom they were composing, see iii. n. 92 (in iii.29 Evagrius in¬
corporated a calculation from Eustathius). Here Evagrius has gone astray by counting twice
the joint rule of Justin and Tiberius: Justin II ruled for 9 years and 23 days by himself, and
then a further 3 years and 9 months with Tiberius, a total of 12 years, 10 months and 12 days.
For the years since Romulus, a number has dropped out of the manuscripts, but from the
calculation in iii.29 it is likely to have been 1143 (1052 years to the accession of Anastasius in
491, so that 91 years had to be added).
83 For the succession of ecclesiastical historiography, cf. i, preface.
286
EVAGRIUS
truthfully from the beginning of the world as a result of what he learnt on
Mount Sinai when he encountered God, and he was followed by those
who, preparing the way for our religion, recorded events in the sacred
Scripture; on the other hand Josephus composed a long history which is
useful in all respects. 84
All that occurred, whether in legend or fact, between Greeks and the
ancient barbarians in their struggles between themselves or against the
other, and anything else which has been achieved from the time when
they record that mankind existed, has been recorded by Charax and
Ephorus and Theopompus and innumerable others. But the actions of
the Romans, which encompass in themselves the entire history of the
world, or anything else which happened either in their divisions among
themselves or in their dealings with others, have been worked on by
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who extended his history from the so-
called Aborigines down to Pyrrhus of Epirus, and from the latter by Poly¬
bius of Megalopolis, who brought it as far as the capture of Carthage.
These matters Appian has clearly separated, by gathering together each
sequence of events, even though they occurred at different times. 85 And
as for what was done thereafter, this has been covered by Diodorus
Siculus as far as Julius Caesar, and by Dio Cassius who wrote as far as
Antoninus of Emesa. Herodian, who also expounds the same matters,
records events as far as the death of Maximinus. Nicostratus the
sophist, the historian from Trapezus, has expounded matters from
Philippus the successor of |219| Gordian as far as Odaenathus of
Palmyra and the shameful departure of Valerian against the Persians.
And Dexippus has done much work on these matters, starting from
mythical times and stopping at the reign of Claudian the successor of
Gallienus; he has encompassed what was done by the Carpi and other
barbarian tribes in their attacks on Greece, Thrace and Ionia. Eusebius,
84 At first sight the contrast might appear to be between sacred and profane history, but
the Jewish Antiquities of Josephus can scarcely be taken as representative of the latter. Eva-
grius appears to have begun with the sacred/profane distinction, but then diverged into a
contrast between the historical material in the Bible and the other information on religious
history in Josephus. The tradition of secular historiography is then picked up in the next
paragraph.
85 In contrast to the universal historians, Ephorus, Theopompus (both fourth century
BC) and Charax (second century AD), or Polybius, whose account of Roman imperial ex¬
pansion covered the world from the western Mediterranean to Afghanistan, Appian had
divided Roman affairs up into specific campaign theatres, e.g. Iberian or Mithridatic.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V
287
too, going from Octavian, Trajan and Marcus reached as far as the death
of Carus. Certain things concerning these times are recorded by Arrian
and Asinius Quadratus. 86
Concerning subsequent times, Zosimus has narrated down to the
emperors Honorius and Arcadius, and events after them have been
collected by Priscus the rhetor and others. All these things have been
excellently abridged by Eustathius of Epiphania in two volumes, one
down to the capture of Troy and the other down to the twelfth year of
the emperor Anastasius. 87 Events from him as far as the times of Justi¬
nian have been covered by Procopius the rhetor . 88 The sequel to these
has been recorded in succession by Agathias the rhetor and John, my
fellow townsman and relative, down to the flight of Chosroes the
younger to the Romans and his restoration to his kingdom: Maurice by
no means remained unmoved in this matter, but received him royally,
and most speedily brought him back to his kingdom, with great expendi¬
ture and armaments. These have not yet actually been published. 89
86 Up to here this catalogue of secular historians almost certainly reproduces a list in
Eustathius of Epiphania who is mentioned in the following paragraph (see next note), and
it is unlikely that Evagrius consulted any of these writers directly. For further information
on individual authors, see Oxford Classical Dictionary (ed. 3,1996). Nicostratus ofTrabzon
is otherwise unknown. Eusebius poses a problem, since the coverage of this work matches
that of the earliest version of the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea, but Eva¬
grius has already mentioned him in the preceding paragraph; the easiest solution is that this
is indeed the church historian ( contra Allen, Evagrius 239), and that Evagrius simply lifted
the name, without realizing, from Eustathius’ list (where Eusebius might not have been
identified by his distinctive epithets).
87 In contrast to the authors in the preceding paragraph, it is likely that Evagrius had
consulted these writers, in addition to knowing them through the epitome by Eustathius.
Zosimus, at any rate, is the object of a long harangue at iii.40-1, and Priscus has been cited
at various points in the first two books (e.g. i. 17, ii.l); the terminus of Eustathius’ work is
marked at iii.37. Zachariah, whose work Evagrius used extensively, is not mentioned.
88 The source for most of iv.12-25, of which some is verbatim quotation.
89 The History of Agathias covered from 553 to 558/9; the work of John of Epiphania
began with an allusion to Agathias as his predecessor, even though his own narrative only
began in 572, with the outbreak of the Persian war under Justin II, and extended to the
restoration of Khusro II in 591. Evagrius had already commented (iv.24) that Agathias’
work had not yet reached him, and it is also likely that he had no more than a general im¬
pression about John’s presentation of events (on the question of the relative priority of John
and Evagrius, and the direction of influence from one to the other, see Whitby, Maurice 245,
265-6).
The concluding sequence of this book (23-4) is clearly modelled on, and adapted from,
Eustathius of Epiphania’s presentation of the start of Anastasius’ reign (cf. nn. 82, 86
288
EVAGRIUS
Concerning these events we too will relate in the sequel what is appro¬
priate, if the favour from on high permits.
End of the 5th Book of the Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius.
above). It served to mark the progression from the historical account of previous emperors
to the affairs of the current ruler, and also, by interrupting the narrative flow, it underlined
Ihe importance of what was to come.
[220] THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF THE SIXTH
BOOK OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS SCHOLASTICUS
1. Concerning the marriage of Maurice and Augusta.
2. Concerning Alamundaras the Saracen, and his son Naaman.
3. Concerning the generalship of John and Philippicus and what
they accomplished.
4. Concerning the generalship of Priscus, and what he experi¬
enced when his army mutinied against him.
5. Concerning Germanus’ reluctant possession of supreme rule.
6. That the emperor again dispatched Philippicus, but the army
did not accept him.
7. Concerning Gregory of Theopolis and the slander which
occurred against him, and how he proved this false.
8. That Theopolis again suffered from earthquakes.
9. That the barbarians, emboldened by the army’s mutiny against
the emperor, attacked them and were defeated by Germanus.
10. Concerning the mercy of the emperor towards the mutineers.
11. That Gregory of Theopolis was dispatched to reconcile the
army.
12. Gregory’s oration to the army.
13. That the soldiers changed their minds after Gregory’s oration
and again accepted Philippicus as general.
14. Concerning the capture of Martyropolis.
|221] 15. Concerning the generalship of Comentiolus and the capture of
Akbas.
16. Concerning the murder of Hormisdas.
17. Concerning the flight to us of Chosroes the Younger.
18. That the emperor dispatched Gregory and Domitian to meet
Chosroes.
19. That Chosroes again received the Persians’ realm, since the
Romans supported him.
20. That at that time there lived the holy mother Golinduch.
290
EVAGRIUS
21. Concerning the dedications which Chosroes sent to the holy
martyr Sergius.
22. Concerning Naaman the Saracen.
23. Concerning the death of Symeon Stylites the Younger, who is
among the saints.
24. Concerning the death of Gregory, Bishop of Theopolis, and
restoration of Anastasius.
[222] BOOK VI OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF
EVAGRIUS OF EPIPHANIA, SCHOLASTICUS AND
EX-PREFECT
1 After Maurice had inherited the rule, he first made preparations for his
marriage and in accordance with imperial decrees espoused Augusta,
who was also Constantina; the marriage procession was held magnifi¬
cently, with public feasts and celebrations in all parts of the city. Religion
and kingship were present, providing the most splendid escort and
providing the most esteemed gifts. 1 For the former presented a father and
mother to sanctify the marriage with respected grey hair and venerable
wrinkles - a thing never previously reported with regard to emperors - as
well as beautiful siblings in the prime of life to dignify the marital proces¬
sion. 2 The other presented a robe shot with gold, decorated with purple
and Indian stones, and crowns most precious with their abundance of
gold and the varied splendour of the jewels, and all those numbered
among the offices at court and the armies, who lit the marital candles,
magnificently dressed and with the insignia of their rank, celebrating in
song the festival of the bringing of the bride. As a result there has never
been anything among men more dignified or more joyful than that
1 This whole chapter is in the high style which Evagrius uses for descriptions of imperial
qualities (cf. iii.l on Zeno). In this sentence Evagrius creates a pun on SopucjjopoCctat
'providing an escort for’ and 8mpi>4>opoucrai ‘providing gifts’; cf. ii.l at nn. 5 and 6 for ana¬
logous wordplay in the description of Marcian.
2 Maurice’s father, Paul (PLRE III. 980-1, s.v. Paulus 23), was brought to Constan¬
tinople and made leader of the senate; he received part of Ihe property of Marcellus,
brother of Justin II, including a house which was convenient for both the palace and
S. Sophia. The 'thing never previously reported’ is presumably the mention of such signs
of age, which would be omitted from descriptions of emperors and their relatives. Maurice
had one brother, Peter, and two sisters, Gordia, the wife of Philippicus, and Theoctiste.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
291
procession. 3 And Damophilus says, when writing about the affairs of
Rome, that Plutarch [223] of Chaeronea clearly states that for her sake
alone did virtue and chance make a truce with each other. 4 But I would
say that in Maurice alone religion and good fortune have thus come
together, since religion constrained good fortune and did not permit her
to be diverted at all. Thereafter he has been determined to wear the purple
and the crown not only on his body but also on his soul: for alone of
recent emperors has he been emperor over himself, and becoming in very
truth a sole ruler he has expelled from his own soul the mob rule of the
passions, while by establishing an aristocracy in his own calculations he
has presented himself as a living representation of virtue, educating his
subjects to imitation. 5 This is not spoken by me as flattery: for what in¬
deed will be spoken, since that man is unaware of what is being written? 6
3 The marriage celebrations are also described by Theophylact i.10: the ceremony was
conducted by Patriarch John Nesteutes in the Augusteum in the palace of Daphne, the
oldest part of the Great Palace. The factions acclaimed the bridal couple with the following
chant (Cantarella, Poeti 82):
O Saviour God, protect our rulers.
Holy, thrice Holy, give them healthy life.
May the all-holy Spirit watch over the Augusti.
Lord, [watch over] their life on account of our life.
Newly married king, God will protect you,
Honoured and virtuous, the Trinity will adorn you,
And God in heaven will provide you with joy.
Blessing your marriage, as the only One perfect in goodness,
Who in Cana previously attended the marriage
And at it blessed the water in His love for mankind
And produced wine for the enjoyment of mankind;
So He will bless you, together with your spouse,
And God will grant you children born in the purple.
4 Damophilus of Bithynia composed a work On the Lives of the Ancients in the late
second century AD; the quotation from Plutarch (late first century AD) is from On the
Fortune of the Romans 2 (Loeb IV. 324).
5 A continuation of the extravagant praise for Maurice in v.19, and a clear contrast with
the descriptions of Zeno and Justin II, who were incapable of controlling themselves and
hence imperial affairs (cf. iii.l, pp. 99:14-100:5; iii.3, p. 100:17-19; v.l, pp. 195:20-196:1;
v. 11, p. 207:20-3; Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’). The statement that Maurice ‘alone of recent emper¬
ors was emperor over himself implies a failing in Tiberius, somewhat at odds with the
eulogy in v.13; the explanation is perhaps that Tiberius’ generosity was so lavish that he
effectively lost control of himself.
6 Such protestations of honesty are commonplace in panegyrics (e.g. Socrates vii.22.1;
John of Ephesus, EH iii.22). In Evagrius’ case it is perhaps credible that Maurice would
not see, or hear, his Ecclesiastical History, so that he could correctly protest that he was
292
EVAGRIUS
That these things are so will be proved both by what has been granted to
him by God, and by the events of all types which must unanimously be
attributed by us to God.
2 In addition to everything else, he was eager that the blood of those on
trial for imperial matters should never be shed in any circumstances. 7
Accordingly, for example, he did not slay Alamundarus, the leader of
the Scenite Arabs, who had completely betrayed both the state and
himself, as I have earlier narrated; as penalty he only imposed relegation,
with his wife and some of his children, to an island and banished him to
that of Sicily. As for this man’s son Namaan, who filled the state with
countless troubles, ravaging the two Phoenicias and Palestine and
carrying off captives by means of his barbarian companions after
Alamundarus had been captured, although everyone condemned him to
death, he kept him under watch in open detention, without any addi¬
tional punishment. 8 And in countless other cases he has done this, as
each will be reported at the appropriate point. 9
3 N ow, as general of the eastern regiments Maurice had first sent John, a
Thracian by race, who, in experiencing some failures but also making
good some reverses, did nothing whatsoever worthy of record; 10 after
not now presenting a panegyric. But Evagrius also composed a work to praise the birth of
Maurice's first son, Theodosius, which earned him the rank of honorary prefect (vi.24); that
work could well have included a passage on the wedding which had produced the auspicious
offspring, and an economical writer might have chosen to recycle the sentiments.
7 Cf. iii.34, p,134:15—18, for similar praise of Anastasius, and contrast Justin II’s delight
in murder (v.2).
8 For al-Mundhir’s quarrel with Maurice, see v.20 with n. 73 above. Following al-
Mundhir’s arrest by the curator Magnus, his four sons, led by Numan, had ravaged exten¬
sively in the provinces of Arabia and Syria; Tiberius sent out Magnus, again, to arrest
Numan, but this time his deception failed (John of Ephesus, EH iii.42-3; Pratum Spirituale
155 also mentions Numan’s ravaging); subsequently Numan came to Constantinople to see
Maurice, but his refusal to be reconciled with the Chalcedonians led to a breach, and
Numan was arrested and sent to join his father in exile (John iii.54, 56, a passage restored
from Michael the Syrian and Chron. 1234). Discussion in Shahid, Sixth Century 532—40.
9 Cf. Theophylact i. 11.16-20 for Maurice’s wish to be clement in the case of a convicted
pagan, when his leniency was overruled by the patriarch.
10 John Mystacon (PLRE III. 679-81, x.v. Ioannes 101) had been commander in
Armenia, probably magister militum, during Tiberius’ reign, and after Maurice’s accession
he was promoted to magister militum per Orientem. In autumn 582 the chance for victory in
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
293
him he sent Philippicus, |224| who was related to him by marriage as he
had married one of his two sisters. This man, after crossing the frontiers
and ravaging everything in his path, became master of great spoils, and
captured many people of noble birth and ancestry from Nisibis and
other places on this side of the river Tigris. 11 He engaged with the
Persians and, after a fierce fight in which many distinguished Persians
had fallen, he took many captives; one unit which had escaped to a
convenient hillock he let go unharmed, although he could have captured
it, since they promised to persuade their king to send an embassy about
peace as soon as possible. 12 And as general he accomplished other
things, by liberating the army from excesses and matters conducive to
luxury, and by reining it in towards good order and obedience. 13 These
matters must be grasped from those who have composed or indeed are
composing histories, in accordance with the reports or opinions they
may have or have had: their account misses what is true, slipping and
limping through ignorance, or corrupted by favouritism, or blinded by
hostility. 14
an engagement in Arzanene was lost when Cours, formerly his colleague but now his sub¬
ordinate, declined to participate in the battle; throughout 583 John was again active in
Arzanene, where the Romans managed to capture the fort of Akbas, in spite of being
forced to abandon the siege at one point. For discussion, see Whitby, Maurice 277-8.
11 Philippicus, husband of Gordia, had been appointed comes excubitorum in succession
to Maurice ( PLRE III. 1022-6, s. v. Philippicus 3). In 584 he arrived in the East to succeed
John as magister militum per Orientem; most of the year was occupied by fruitless negotia¬
tions, during which Philippicus energetically recruited, but in the autumn he conducted a
raid, or raids, into Beth Arabaye, the vicinity of Nisibis. See Whitby, Maurice 278-9.
12 Evagrius has skipped the campaign of 585, when ill health prevented Philippicus from
achieving much, and advanced to the battle of Solachon in 586 (narrated at greater length
by Theophylact ii.1.5—6.12): the Persians under the Kardarigan attacked the Roman army
drawn up by the river Arzamon. but were forced to flight; the Persian centre took refuge on a
hillock, where they were blockaded for a time (Theophylact does not mention an agreement
about an embassy). See Whitby, Maurice 279-82.
13 After Solachon, Philippicus conducted an offensive in Arzanene in 586 with mixed
success, while in 587 he was too ill lo campaign and entrusted operations to his subordi¬
nates: see Whitby, Maurice 282-4. Theophylact praised Philippicus’ military knowledge
(i.14.2-4); among recent generals both Justinian (Theophylact iii.12.7) and Maurice
(Menander, fr. 23.3) also received praise for improving military discipline.
14 Evagrius recognizes that Philippicus’ achievements as commander were mixed, and
were unlikely to receive such sympathetic treatment from writers who did not share his
personal closeness to the imperial family. The most obvious target for Evagrius’ attack on
inaccurate reporting is the work of his relative, John of Epiphania, which was being
294
EVAGRIUS
4 After him Priscus assumed the military command: he was not an
accessible man, nor yet easily approached, with the exception of essential
matters, 15 who considered that everything would be achieved if for the
most part he remained by himself, since thereby indeed, through fear,
the soldiers would be more submissive to orders. And so, after arriving
at the camp with a supercilious and arrogant expression and decked out
in a rather elegant way, he made an announcement about the duration
of the soldiers’ active service, and about their precise equipment and
what they received from the treasury. 16 Having already indeed heard
about these matters, they let their anger burst out into the open; coming
together at the place where his tent was pitched, like barbarians they
composed at this time: John need not have shared Evagrius’ partiality towards Philippicus,
and Evagrius was probably in a position to anticipate the tenor of John’s narrative, even if
the completed work was not available for him to read. For analogous criticism of the
veracity of other writers, cf. i.21 with n. 178 (Eudocia’s withdrawal to Jerusalem).
15 Evagrius approved of those who restricted access to themselves (cf. iv.40, Anastasius
of Antioch; v.19, Maurice). At first sight, Priscus appears to be similar to Anastasius, who is
described as ‘neither vulnerable to what was unsuitable by being approachable and accessi¬
ble, nor by being austere and merciless was he inaccessible for what was necessary’ (pr| 5s ...
SuoTipocnTov iq ra Ssovra: pp. 190:33-191:1). But Evagrius strongly disapproved of
Priscus, whose arrogance is shown to be unsuitable when faced by a crisis. Evagrius presum¬
ably thought that Priscus did not make sufficient exceptions to his principle of remoteness,
and I wonder whether the sentence should have an extra negative to convey this point more
clearly, ‘not even with the exception of essential matters’.
16 The sequence of events in the early part of 588 is also recorded, with some significant
differences, by Theophylact iii.l.1-3.6. At the end of the 587 campaign Philippicus was
replaced as magister militumper Orientem by Priscus (PLRE III. 1052-7, s.v. Priscus 6);
Philippicus had already received an order from Maurice to impose a reduction of one
quarter in military pay, which was probably meant to be offset by a return to public
provision of clothing and equipment and by some improvements to conditions of service;
he arranged for the promulgation of this while the troops were in winter quarters. Priscus
arrived at the main Roman camp at Monocarton in time to celebrate Easter on 18 April; he
immediately upset the soldiers by not dismounting when they greeted him. Discussion in
Whitby, Maurice 286-8.
The analysis of Krivouchine, ‘Revolte’ 154—61, focuses on the literary contrasts which
Evagrius draws between the different participants in the mutiny, the rebellious army on the
one hand and on the other the sequence of Priscus the arrogant instigator, Germanus the
reluctant commander, and Gregory the effective conciliator. Evagrius, however, does recog¬
nize the significance of the orders about military remuneration, of which the soldiers already
knew (‘Having already indeed heard ...’; and cf. n. 16 above) and which were clearly the
cause of their rage; Priscus’ behaviour merely brought this anger into the open. Thus
Evagrius’ presentation does include other factors besides the contrasting personalities.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
295
plundered all of his magnificent equipment and the most valuable treas¬
ures, and came close to making away with him as well, but for the fact
that he leapt onto one of the spare horses and made his escape to
Edessa. 17 They even sent men there and besieged it, demanding
Priscus. 18 [225|
5 Since the people of the city did not give in, they left Priscus there and
after forcibly holding captive Germanus, who was leader of the military
regiments in Phoenice Libanensis, they elected him as their leader and,
as far as pertained to them, emperor. 19 As he was resisting and they
were insisting more vehemently, there was dispute between them for
the one not to be forced and the others to bring this to achievement;
they made clear that they would kill him if he did not voluntarily
accept, while he much preferred to accept even this, since he was
neither frightened nor disconcerted. They had resort to the application
of various tortures and outrages, which they thought he would
never endure since he would not be more impervious than his nature
and age. After initially putting him to the test with respect and con¬
sideration, they eventually forced him against his will to agree and
swear that he would in truth keep his word to them. And so in this
way they compelled him to be their ruler though he was ruled, to
control them though controlled, and to be their master though their
17 ‘Spare horse’, tivi tmv uapo/mv uiraov; also in ch. 15, p. 233:7. Festugiere, 449 n. 8,
discusses the rare term ndpoxot, which refers to some sort of supernumerary or reserve
horses which must, on this occasion, have been tied up close to the general’s tent. Theophy-
lact (iii.1.13) says that the fleeing Priscus encountered the grooms who were pasturing the
soldiers’ horses, and so escaped.
18 According to Theophylact, the soldiers began to riot after the Easter festival; even the
display of an acheiropoietos icon of Christ (an image not made by human hand, either that
from Edessa, or the Camuliana image which had recently been taken to Constantinople)
failed to restore order, and Priscus took refuge in the nearby city of Constantina, narrowly
escaping death in the process. Priscus used the bishop of Constantina to negotiate a recon¬
ciliation, but when this failed he appears to have withdrawn to Edessa, where he again used
the local bishop as his emissary; the mutineers responded by sending a delegation to instruct
Priscus to leave Edessa; after further negotiations failed, 5,000 soldiers moved against
Edessa to force Priscus from the city.
19 According to Theophylact (iii.2.4—8), the mutineers had already compelled Germa¬
nus (PLRE III. 529-30, .s.v. Germanus 6) to become their leader (no mention of emperor)
before the negotiations at Edessa; Germanus secured an oath from the soldiers that they
would not pillage Roman subjects, but the mutineers then tore down the imperial icons
and insulted Maurice for being a shopkeeper.
296
EVAGRIUS
captive. 20 As for all the other commanders of regiments, companies
and units, and those who led each century and decade, they chased
these off and chose for themselves whom they wanted. They cursed the
imperial power in public and, though in most respects behaving
towards the tax-payers more moderately than barbarians, they were
quite unlike allies or servants of the state, for they did not exact
supplies according to fixed measures and weights, nor were they
content just with what was allocated to them, but for each man his deci¬
sion was a decree and his wish an accepted measure.
6 The emperor dispatched Philippicus to settle these matters, but not
only did they not receive him, but any of those whom they supposed to
be attached to him was in extreme peril. 21
7 While affairs were in this state, Gregory, the bishop of Theopolis,
returned from the queen of cities, after achieving victory in the contest
which I am about to narrate. When Asterius [226] was directing the
government of the East, a certain dispute arose between himself and
Gregory. The entire upper tier of the city was separated off into Asterius’
party, and in addition he also enlisted the popular element and those
who practised trades in the city. 22 For each of these asserted that they
had received some injury. Finally, indeed, the populace was given
licence to make hostile chants against him. Accordingly, since both the
factions had united in a single opinion, 23 they were shouting out insults
20 As Krivouchine observes (‘Revoke’ 155—7), Evagrius delights in the rhetorical con¬
trast between the nominal position of the new emperor, Germanus, and his complete power¬
lessness.
21 As soon as Priscus reported the mutiny to Maurice, the emperor reinstated his
brother-in-law as commander, but the mutineers then swore not to receive him back (Theo-
phylact iii.2.11, 3.7). Evagrius puts full weight on the fact that the revolt was against Maur¬
ice’s imperial authority (his order on pay had been the prime cause), and the rebuff to the
emperor’s brother-in-law underlines this aspect; it made reconciliation harder to achieve.
22 Nothing more is known about the dispute between the comes Orientis Asterius
(PLRE III. 139, s.v. Asterius 3) and the patriarch, which must have come to a head in
spring 588. This incident, in which the respectable element in the city sided with the populace
against the patriarch, further undermines Evagrius’ praise for Gregory’s popularity (v.6,
with n. 22 above). Asterius was killed in the earthquake of 588 (vi.8).
23 The BEL translation (452) gives 'both the other classes accorded with the populace’,
but no 5(j|rco rendered ‘populace’ is a dual, not dative; Festugiere (450) translates ‘both the
notables and the populace agreed ...’, but there is no reference to the notables. It is prefer¬
able to interpret the dual as an allusion to the two main circus factions (for whom the dual is
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
297
against the priest in the main streets and the theatre, while even those on
stage did not refrain from these. Asterius was removed from his office,
and John was appointed to it with orders from the emperor to make an
investigation of these disturbances - a man who was incapable of admin¬
istering the very smallest of matters, let alone such a great undertaking. 24
Accordingly, after filling the city with uproars and commotions and
issuing proclamations if anyone wanted to accuse the priest, he received
an indictment against him from a man in charge of a bank, stating that
Gregory had had intercourse with his sister who was allotted in marriage
to another man. From other similar people he received indictments about
how the prosperity of the city had often been abused by him. 25 Con¬
cerning the prosperity he offered a defence, but on the other matters he
appealed to the emperor and a synod. And so on these matters he went
to the imperial city to present his defence, with myself as adviser in atten¬
dance on him. And when the patriarchs of each place were present for
the investigation, some in person and others by proxy, as well as the
sacred senate and many of the most holy metropolitans, the proposition
was subjected to scrutiny and Gregory was victorious after considerable
conflicts. 26 As a result the accuser, after being whipped and paraded
sometimes used in other literary texts, but not in Evagrius), especially since chanting and
public entertainments are involved. On his return from Constantinople, Gregory contribu¬
ted to the provision of a Hippodrome for Antioch, an action which outraged John of
Ephesus (EH v.17) but which would have been a good way to re-establish friendly relations
with the influential factions.
24 Nothing else is known about this man (PLRE III. 678, s. v. Ioannes 97).
25 Festugiere points out (451 n. 13) that the sexual accusation must be adultery (inter¬
course with the banker’s sister), not incest (with Gregory’s own sister), although the latter
is a precise translation of the Greek. As at Alexandria, the Church was probably by now the
major property-owner at Antioch, so that the management of its estates would inevitably
have a wider impact on the city (cf. Life of John the Almsgiver ch. 10 for constructive use of
church funds; Life of Theodore of Sykeon chs. 76, 78 for bitter disputes about the manage¬
ment of church property).
Allen observes that John of Ephesus (£T/iii.27-34; v.17) conflated the pagan accusation
of Tiberius’ reign (cf. Evagrius v.18) with the troubles of Maurice’s reign (Evagrius 250); but
it is unsafe to infer from this link that there was a single doctrinal cause which united the two
incidents.
26 The sexual accusation against Gregory would, if proven, result in dismissal, which
could only be ordered by a Synod in which the other Eastern patriarchs or their official
representatives, apocrisarii , participated (cf. iii. n. 59 above for Acacius’ rejection of his
uncanonical deposition by the Pope).
298
EVAGRIUS
around the city, was condemned in addition to banishment. And so after
this he returned to his own see, while the armies were in revolt and Philip-
picus was tarrying near the cities of Beroe and Chalcis. 27
[227] 8 When four months had passed since his arrival, in the 637th
year of the Era of Theopolis, in the 61st year after the previous earth¬
quakes, when I was celebrating marriage with a young maiden on the
last day of the month Hyperberetaeus, when the city was conducting a
festival and holding a public celebration of the procession and bridal
ceremonies, at about the third hour of the evening, a convulsion and
quake struck and levelled the entire city. 28 Most buildings fell down
when their very foundations were churned up: as a result everything
around the most holy church was brought to the ground, with only the
dome being preserved. This had been fashioned by Ephrem out of
timbers from Daphne, after it suffered in the earthquakes under
Justin: as a result of the subsequent quakes this had tilted towards
its northern part so that timbers were inserted to exert counter¬
pressure, but these indeed fell down in this violent quake when the
dome returned to its position and, as if under some law, reoccupied its
27 Theophylact (iii.4.5) says that Philippicus was waiting at Hierapolis, a bit to the north
of Beroe and Chalcis.
28 October 588. Evagrius had treated the earthquakes of May 526 and November 528 as
if they were part of a single series of tremors (iv.5-6); he antedated the quake of 526 by one
year (cf. iv. n. 12 above), placing it in the tenth month of Justin’s seventh regnal year (May
525), and he dated the 528 quake by reference to it, 30 months later (cf. iv. n. 16 above).
Evagrius’ calculation of the 61st year, though one year out in terms of accepted chronology,
is correctly deduced from the information in Book iv: although he does not provide an Anti¬
ochene year for the earthquakes of the 520s, by combining the information in iv. 5-6 with the
dating, including an Antiochene year, for Justinian’s accession in iv.9 he would have placed
(he 528 quake in November of the first year of Justinian’s reign, i.e. year 576 of the Antio¬
chene Era (one year early). He knew the Antiochene date of the quake which affected his
marriage, and subtracted what he believed to be that for the end of the 520s quakes, hence
the 61st year.
BEL (453) and Festugiere (452) both translate ‘after the previous earthquake’ (singular),
and Festugiere and Allen, Evagrius 251, both interpret the ‘previous quake’ to be that of
526, without solving the problems that this causes for Evagrius’ calculation of the 61st
year. Recognition that Evagrius is dealing with the whole series of quakes (plural) in the
520s, and that he had antedated these by one year, resolves this. For the enumeration and
chronology of the quakes that struck Antioch, cf. also ii.12 with nn. 130-2 above.
The public celebrations of Evagrius’ new marriage are an indication of his importance in
Antiochene society.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
299
proper place. 29 There also fell down much of the area called Ostrakine,
and the Psephium, which we mentioned previously, and the whole of
the area called Bursia, and the vicinity of the all-holy shrine of the
Mother of God, with only the central colonnade being miraculously
preserved. 30 All the towers on the level ground suffered, although the
rest of the structure remained unharmed except for the battlements,
for some stones from these were twisted backwards but did not fall. 31
Other churches also suffered and of the public baths the one that is
divided according to the seasons. 32 And an unquantifiable multitude
was caught: as certain people conjectured, inferring from the bread
supply, this affliction consumed about 60,000. 33
29 This description of (he history of the dome of the Great Church has been variously
interpreted. In the BEL translation (453^1) Ephrem secured the dome with timbers from
Daphne, and these were thrown into a leaning position by subsequent quakes. According to
Festugiere (453), Ephrem actually rebuilt the dome in timber, although it later also had to be
supported by wooden buttressing. Evagrius does suggest that two separate sets of timbers are
involved, for the construction by Ephrem and then for the buttressing necessitated by later
shocks; the latter now collapsed.
There is no other evidence to clarify the history of the church. I would suggest that recon¬
struction probably began soon after the destruction in 526, with a dome, perhaps envisaged
as a temporary repair, built of timber; this suffered in 528, at which point extra support was
supplied, perhaps by Ephrem as well. The later earthquakes of 551 and 557, to which Festu¬
giere attributed the northward tilt, are not known to have caused serious damage in Antioch.
30 The region of Ostrakine had been affected in the earthquake of458 (ii.12, withn. 136);
for the reconstruction of the Psephium under Theodosius II, cf. i. 18 with n. 162 above; the
area known as Bursia is not otherwise attested, but Downey (Antioch 568 n. 25) suggested it
was an area connected with leather-working. On the Church to the Virgin, cf. v. n. 76 above.
31 This indication that Antioch still possessed substantial defences should be set against
the exaggerated criticism of their dilapidated state in 573 (v.9 with n. 41 above). There had
been plenty of time for repairs to be carried out in the intervening fifteen years, but it is more
likely that the basic structures had remained standing throughout (as is indicated in depic¬
tions of the walls from the early nineteenth century, which show characteristic brick-banded
late Roman work).
32 It was quite common for there to be separate winter and summer bath houses (e.g. at
Edessa); the division might be reflected in a decorative scheme representing the seasons, as
at the winter baths in Gaza whose painting of the cosmos is described by John of Gaza (ed.
P. Friedlander [Leipzig, 1912] pp. 135-64).
33 The mortality in the disaster of 526 is recorded as 250,000, but the total then had been
swelled by the influx into Antioch of numerous country-dwellers for the festival of Ascen¬
sion (iv. n. 12 above). Two generations later Antioch was undoubtedly a less populous and
prosperous place, especially bearing in mind the Persian capture in 540 and the successive
ravages of the plague since 542, but the casualty total of 60,000 indicates that it was still a
very major centre.
300
EVAGRIUS
Now the bishop was saved contrary to expectation, even though the
whole building where he was sitting fell down and no one whatsoever
survived except for those who were seated around him. Lifting him up
and carrying him, they let him down by a rope after a second earthquake
had made a hole, |228| and they brought him out of harm’s reach. There
was also another salvation for the city, since the merciful God tempered
His threat with clemency and chastened our sin with the branch of
compassion and pity: for no conflagration occurred, even though there
were so many fires all over the city in hearths, public and private lanterns,
kitchens, ovens, then again in baths and innumerable other places. Very
many of the notables were caught, among whom Asterius indeed
became a victim of the earthquake. The emperor assuaged the city’s
suffering with money. 34
9 The affairs of the army were much the same, with the result that the
barbarians invaded in the belief that no one would prevent them from
performing barbarian actions. But Germanus confronted them with his
troops, and defeated and destroyed them so soundly that not even a
messenger of the disaster was left for the Persians. 35
10 And so the emperor rewarded the army with money, but he recalled
Germanus and others and summoned them to judgement. And, although
all were condemned to death, he did not permit them to suffer anything
unpleasant but rather honoured them with rewards. 36
34 Imperial reconstructions after the earthquake are recorded by John of Ephesus (EH
v.22-3), though money is also said to have been channelled to Maurice’s home town of Ara-
bissus in Cappadocia. Patriarch Gregory was granted funds to rebuild the Hippodrome at
Antioch (John of Ephesus, EHv.ll). For Asterius, cf. vi.7 withn. 22 above.
35 Theophylact, iii.3.8 8.4, records the military action during the Roman mutiny in 588.
The Persians first tried to take advantage of the situation by attacking Constantina, but were
beaten back by Germanus and 1,000 men. Germanus then managed to persuade 4,000 of the
mutineers to invade Persia, and later in 588 there was a campaign into Arzanene; the Persians
thwarted the Roman raiders, but were then heavily defeated near Martyropolis, with their
commander Maruzas being killed, 3,000 Persian captives andmuch booty being sent to Con¬
stantinople, and only 1,000 Persian survivors making their way toNisibis.
36 Evagrius’ chronology is probably somewhat awry here. Theophylact (iii.3.11) records
Ihe dispatch of the curator Aristobulus to the army during the 588 campaign, before the
victory at Martyropolis. This success, and the dispatch of booty to the capital, led to an
improvement of relations with Maurice, but it is unlikely that Germanus and other leaders
left the army until the end of the mutiny at Easter 589; thus, unless they were tried in absen¬
tia, which is not implied, Evagrius has antedated their summons to judgement (see n. 45
below). For Maurice’s clemency, cf. vi.2 with n. 7 above.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
301
While these matters were proceeding thus the Avars twice penetrated
as far as the so-called Long Wall, captured by siege and enslaved Singi-
dunum, and Anchialus, and the whole of Greece and other cities and
forts, destroying and burning everything, since most armies were
engaged in the East. 37
The emperor sent Andrew, who was the chief of the imperial body¬
guard, to persuade the army to accept their former officers and the
others. 38
11 Since they did not even endure that the instruction reach their ears,
|229| the business was transferred to Gregory, not only because he was
capable of accomplishing the greatest of things but also because the
army owed great respect to him, since some he had welcomed with
money, others with clothes and food and other things when they were
passing through his see after being enrolled from the register. 39
37 It is likely that this rare notice of contemporary Balkan events was the result of Eva-
grius’ visit to Constantinople for Gregory’s trial in 588. In 583 the Avars, having failed to
obtain an increase in the Roman peace payments, invaded the Balkans; they captured Sin-
gidunum, ravaged as far as Anchialus, near which they spent the winter, and threatened to
continue to the Long Walls of Constantinople before being persuaded to withdraw. In 584
Slav raiders did reach the Long Walls, but were driven off. In 586/7 another major Avar
attack brought them as far as Adrianople and other cities of the Thracian plain. In 588
there was an even more successful Avar onslaught in which Singidunum was forced to pay
a ransom, Anchialus was captured and the Roman forces under Priscus outmanoeuvred
near the Long Walls. Evagrius’ notice is probably a conflation of the events of 588 with a
vaguer impression of the earlier campaigns; throughout these years Maurice was prevented
from taking effective action by the need to allocate available manpower to the eastern front.
For discussion, see Whitby, Maurice 140-55.
38 This probably represents the mission lo the army in spring 589, when their customary
salary was distributed (Theophylact iii.4.6); Andrew’s rank cannot be specified, though
PLRE (III. 77, s.v. Andreas 12) suggests that he may have been comes domesticorum.
39 Cf. the eulogy of Gregory’s qualities at v.6. As often, Evagrius’ general praise can be
connected with specific incidents: cf. Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’ 330. These benefactions are also
mentioned in Gregory’s speech to the soldiers (vi. 12 with n. 43 below).
This passage is important for its evidence on Roman recruiting practices in the late sixth
century, about which there is very little information. Enrolment from the register refers to
the standard Roman method of conscription, for which the tax registers provided the basis;
these recruits who passed through Antioch on their journey towards their units were likely
to have been enrolled for service in ihe units of the mobile army ( comitatenses : the limitanei
who served in the frontier units were hereditary, so that recruits are unlikely to have had to
travel long distances to reach their units). Discussion in Whitby, ‘Recruitment’, section 4
esp. pp. 82-3.
302
EVAGRIUS
Accordingly, he sent message-bearers in all directions and assembled
those in leading positions in the army at Litarba, a place which is about
300 stades distant from Theopolis. 40 He came to them and, although he
was bed-ridden, he spoke as follows: 41
12 Men, Romans in appellation and actions, 42 I had thought there
would some time ago have been an approach from you to us, for you to
communicate the current events and to receive the advice which my
goodwill towards you pledges, the goodwill which is indubitably guaran¬
teed by what you have previously received when I welcomed with neces¬
sary relief your maritime discomfort and consequent storm-tossed
state. 43 But since this has been overlooked up till now, perhaps because
it was not permitted from on high, so that on the one hand the Persians
might be completely appraised of Roman courage by being defeated by
men without a general, while on the other your unadulterated goodwill
might be thoroughly guaranteed, being put to the test by the occasion
and being attested by the events - for you have demonstrated that even
if you have a grievance towards your generals, there is nothing of
40 As noted by Allen, Evagrius 254, Litarba (Terib) was located near an important road
intersection in eastern Syria; thus it was an appropriate place to collect representatives from
(lie different elements of the Roman army in the East, which would have dispersed into
winter quarters at the end of the 588 campaign.
41 Gregory suffered from gout (cf. vi.24). The speech that follows is clearly Evagrius’
own composition; as Allen points out (Evagrius 255 n. 51), it lacks the rhythmic patterns
which characterize Gregory’s homilies. On the other hand, the basic argument is probably
fairly genuine: terminate the mutiny while you have the Church’s help and the emperor is
prepared to pardon the challenge to his authority, or face the consequences of long-term
isolation.
42 For the conceit, cf. Theophylact ii. 14.1, where cowardly Romans may belie their name
by their actions. Allen, Evagrius 244, regards the speech as an indication that Evagrius has
switched from ecclesiastical to secular history, and describes it as ‘quite absurd’ when com¬
pared with the verbatim reports of Khusro’s dedications (vi.21). Such criticism is excessive:
Evagrius is interested in the qualities of leadership, and the speech and its attendant circum¬
stances demonstrate important aspects of the character of Gregory of Antioch as well as
highlighting a significant achievement of his.
43 A reference back to the benefactions mentioned in vi. 11. Gregory’s language, if inter¬
preted literally, indicates a sea voyage, in which case the recruits would have come from the
Balkans or the west and been sent to the east by sea to arrive as quickly as possible; some
might well have suffered a mishap en route. Alternatively, if Gregory speaks metaphorically
(as BEL 456), these recruits were probably in transit from Isauria or Anatolia; they might
not yet have had access to the full official system for military supply and support, so that
they were thrown back on their own resources or whatever charity they could attract.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
303
greater importance to you than the state 44 - come now, let us consider
what is to be done.
The emperor summons you, pledging an amnesty for everything that
has happened before, accepting your goodwill towards the state and
courage towards the enemy as suppliant symbols, and granting you this
as the most secure of all assurances of your pardon, he says: ‘If God has
granted the upper hand to goodwill and, once errors were pushed aside,
courage has shone through, a clear proof of forgiveness, how can I not
follow the judgement of God, if indeed an emperor’s heart |230| is in the
hand of God and He inclines it wherever He may wish.’ 45 Yield, then, I
say, Romans, as quickly as possible, and do not squander the present
opportunity, lest it escape and slip away, for it hates to be grasped once
it is running away and, as if indignant at being overlooked, it absolutely
refuses to be caught a second time. 46 Now, be heirs to your fathers in
obedience, just as you have been heirs in courage, so that you may in all
respects be shown to be Romans, and that no reproach can be attached
to you or show you to be illegitimate children. Those that begat you,
marshalled by consuls and emperors, acquired the whole universe
through obedience and courage. 47 Manlius Torquatus slew his son after
crowning him, as being courageous but disobedient. 48 For good counsel
among the leaders and ready obedience among those led naturally bring
to pass great benefits. But if the one is divorced from the other it is
lamed, overturned and totally destroyed, once the excellent pairing has
been separated.
Do not, then, delay but obey me, since priesthood is mediating
between empire and army: show that what you did was not usurpation,
but a short-lived and justified displeasure against the generals who
44 Gregory has to reverse the importance of the factors underlying the mutiny (cf. vi.4):
the root cause had been discontent with imperial policy on pay, and the general’s behaviour
was only a flashpoint.
45 This offer of an amnesty supports the assumption that the description of Germanus’
acquittal in vi.10 is recorded too early. The logic of Maurice’s guarantee is that God would
not have granted victory to the soldiers unless He had forgiven their misdeeds, and so the
emperor should follow suit. The ruler’s heart: Proverbs 21.1.
46 Cf. Ihe description of Opportunity in iii.26.
47 Cf. Theophylact ii. 14.6-7.
48 An incident from Republican history of the fourth century BC. Manlius Torquatus,
who was renowned for his piety, had forbidden his troops to respond to challenges to single
combat from their Gallic enemies; his son, chafing at the resulting accusations of cowardice,
disobeyed his father and defeated his opponent, only to be punished by his father.
304
EVAGRIUS
wronged you. For, if you do not run towards this as quickly as possible,
I will have done my duty both in respect of my goodwill to the state
and my affection for you, but you - consider what are the rewards for
usurpers. For what will be the outcome of the present position? To
remain all together is an impossibility: for from where will there be the
conveyance of seasonal crops, or those things which the sea grants to
the land in commercial exchange, unless by pitting Christians against
Christians you do and experience the most shameful of all things? And
where in the end, if you are dispersed, will you obtain provisions? Of
its own accord Justice will be at your heels, and will not tolerate
granting pardon thereafter. Therefore, let us clasp hands and consider
what is beneficial for ourselves and for the state, at the time when we
have the days of the saving Passion |231] and the all-holy Resurrection
of Christ our God as fellow-helpers. 49
13 After speaking such words and weeping most copiously, in an instant
he converted the opinions of everyone, as if through some divine impulse.
They requested leave to withdraw from the gathering and to deliberate by
themselves about what was to be done. Shortly thereafter they came and
entrusted themselves to the priest. Next, after he had named for them
Philippicus that they might request him to be their general, they said
that the entire army indeed was bound by strict oaths concerning him.
To this he said, without delay or any demur, 50 that he was priest by
permission of God, and had the power to bind and loose on earth and in
heaven, and he reminded them of the sacred word. 51 When they acceded
to this as well, he propitiated God with supplications and prayers; and
after sharing with them the immaculate body - for it was the all-revered
Monday adjacent to the holy Passion 52 - he feasted them all, about
49 Easter 589 fell on 9 April. Gregory deploys powerful, if vague threats of future pro¬
blems if the soldiers do not abandon their deep-seated aversion to Maurice and accept the
alternative analysis of the revolt as an incident caused by the general Priscus. By contrast,
(lie approaching Easter festival offers a suitable occasion for reconciliation.
50 Another specific echo of the eulogy of Gregory at v.6. Evagrius has naturally high¬
lighted the impact of Gregory’s speech, but it is still clear from his presentation that the
process of reconciliation was not without its difficulties. Krivouchine, ' Revolte’ 158, alleges
that Evagrius points to the insignificance of the revolt and the inevitability of its suppression,
but that is at odds with the skilful rhetoric and flexible response that Gregory has to display.
51 Matthew 16.19,18.18.
52 Literally ‘the second day’, which Festugiere, 458 n. 41, identifies as the Monday of
Holy Week, 3 April 589.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
305
2,000 in number, on couches improvised on the grass, and returned home
on the following day. It was resolved that they should assemble wherever
they might choose. Accordingly he sent for Philippicus, who was staying
at Tarsus in Cilicia while hastening towards the imperial city, and he
provided a report about these matters to the imperial power and sent
the army’s requests concerning Philippicus. Accordingly, once Philip¬
picus had come to the city of the Theopolitans, they met him and, taking
as their helpers in the petition those who had been deemed worthy of the
sacred rebirth, they prostrated themselves before him. 53 After receiving
pledges of amnesty they returned to campaigning with him. Thus indeed
did these events proceed.
14 There was a certain Sittas, one of the junior officers at Martyropolis,
who had a grievance against one of the military commanders there; he
betrayed the city, having watched for the departure of the soldiers who
occupied it. By introducing a contingent of Persians as if |232] they were
Romans he gained control of the city, which was most strategically situ¬
ated for the Romans; he kept inside the majority of women in the prime
of life, but expelled everyone else except for a few slaves. 54 Therefore
53 The identity of their ‘helpers’ in this petition is unclear. They could be the army’s 2,000
delegates who had recently received communion from Gregory at Litarba; as Andrew
Louth has pointed out in correspondence, they had received absolution from Gregory and
for that reason might have been regarded as restored to their baptismal state (rebirth,
rcaXtyysvEcnai, often denotes baptism and its consequences). But, one might have expected
these men to be the main presenters of the army’s case rather than helpers. Granted Gre¬
gory’s involvement as peace-broker, some reference to clergy would not be out of place,
and their participation in the petition would have helped the process of reconciliation; in
this case, Evagrius would be referring, obscurely, to those qualified to administer commu¬
nion, perhaps to clergy attached to the army.
54 There is a clearer and more accurate narrative in Theophylact, iii.5.11 16 (for
comparison of the two, see Higgins, Persian War 33-5). Martyropolis was betrayed to the
Persians early in the campaign season of 589, when Sittas brought 400 Persians into the city
under the pretence that they were deserters. Sittas is literally described as a SEKaSoipxcov, ‘a
commander of ten men’; Festugiere (459) translates this as decurion, i.e. a member of the
local council, but Evagrius’ term implies a military position (Theophylact does not record
Sittas’ status). Thereafter Philippicus invested the city, but was replaced later in 589 by
Comentiolus after failing to prevent the Persians from introducing reinforcements.
Evagrius, whose favouritism towards Philippicus has already been clearly stated (vi.3),
made the most of Philippicus’ efforts in the siege and created a Roman victory out of what
was certainly a Persian tactical success (cf. n. 56 below); one consequence of this rewriting is
that Evagrius extended Philippicus’ involvement at Martyropolis right through to the end of
the 590 campaign (Philippicus withdraws twice into winter quarters, whereas he was
306
EVAGRIUS
Philippicus at once directed his march and invested and besieged the city,
even though he did not possess any of the necessities for a siege. 55 All the
same, he prosecuted the fight with the resources available to him, and by
constructing various tunnels he brought down one of the towers. He
was not, though, strong enough to bring the city to submission because
the Persians worked throughout the night and strengthened what had
collapsed. But when in repeated attacks the Romans were repulsed from
the wall - for missiles were accurately launched against them from
commanding positions, and they were suffering more than the damage
they inflicted on those within - they abandoned the siege. Withdrawing
a short distance, they encamped and kept watch with the sole purpose
that additional Persians should not be brought in. On Maurice’s instruc¬
tions, Gregory too came to the camp and persuaded them to return to
the siege; they were not, however, able to achieve anything more, since
they had no siege engines. As a result, the army broke up into winter
quarters, but strong garrisons were left in the nearby fortresses to
prevent Persians from slipping by and entering the city.
And when the army had assembled in the following summer and the
Persians had made an expedition, there was a fierce fight near Martyro-
polis. Although Philippicus had the upper hand and many Persians fell
and one hero had been overcome, a significant body of Persians broke
through into the city, which indeed had been their particular objec¬
tive. 56 As a result the Romans despaired of besieging the city - for
they could not bring it to submission by force - and they established
another city seven stades away towards the |233] mountainous and
more secure regions, so that they could make various preparations and
replaced by Comentiolus even before the first winter: vi.15 with n. 58 below). See also
Whitby, Maurice 289.
55 Evagrius’ reference here to the shortage of proper equipment is very mild, in contrast
to the criticism of Justin’s military preparations at v.8; Evagrius was concerned to excuse
Philippicus for his failure in Ihe siege, but without suggesting that Maurice was organizing
Ihe war badly. In Theophylact’s narrative the eastern army possessed effective siege equip¬
ment in 586 and 587, so that the alleged lack of it in 589 is surprising.
56 This is still the same year, 589. Theophylact (iii.6.3) records the death of the Persian
commander, Mahbodh, but bluntly states that the Persians were victorious, which is prob¬
ably correct. Michael the Syrian, x.21, II. p. 360, reports severe Persian losses, and the battle
was clearly fiercely fought, but even Evagrius does not conceal Ihe fact that the Persians
achieved their main objective.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
307
counter-attacks. They did this during the summer, but broke camp in
winter. 57
15 As successor in command Comentiolus was sent, a Thracian by race.
He engaged the Persians most fiercely, and came close to losing his life
when he was thrown together with his horse, if one of his bodyguards
had not mounted him on one of the spare horses and conducted him out
of the battle. The survivors then fled headlong, after losing all their
leaders, and reached safety at Nisibis. 58 Being afraid to return to their
own king, for he had threatened them with death if they did not keep
their leaders safe, they plotted usurpation against Hormisdas since the
Persian general Varam was already planning this together with his men,
after his return from the engagement with the Turks. 59 In the meantime
Comentiolus, while blockading Martyropolis, left most of his men there
but with a few chosen on merit he dashed against Okbas, a very strong
fortress which is located on a steep crag on the further bank opposite
Martyropolis, from where indeed the whole city was visible: he besieged
it, left nothing untried, threw down part of the wall with catapults.
57 Before the Romans broke camp for the winter, now under the command of Comen¬
tiolus, they managed to capture the Persian fortress of Akbas (Theophylact iv.2.1), which
was located quite close to Martyropolis, on the banks of the Nymphius river; this may be the
new base camp to which Evagrius refers here, though he records the capture of Akbas in the
following chapter.
58 In contrast to their respective treatment of events at Martyropolis, Evagrius’ account
is here to be preferred on points of detail to that of Theophylact (iii.6.1^1), which is distorted
by praise of Heraclius, the father of the emperor (see Whitby, Maurice 232, 290). On
Comentiolus, see PLRE III. 321-5, s.v. Comentiolus 1. This successful battle against the
Persians was fought at Sisarbanon, to the east of Nisibis. For the term ‘spare horse’, cf.
n. 17 above.
59 Vahram Tchobin had conducted several campaigns against the Turks in the late 580s,
which culminated in a great victory which freed the Persians from the need to pay peace
money to their neighbours on their north-eastern border. A dispute had arisen, however,
between Vahram and King Hormizd about the apportionment of the booty, and the
quarrel was compounded when Vahram was defeated by the Romans in an engagement in
Lazica in 589: it appears that while returning from his Turkish campaign, Vahram had en¬
countered a party of Iberian raiders in Azerbaijan, chased these back towards Lazica, but
then been worsted in battle. Recriminations between king and general became more bitter,
and Vahram persuaded his army to rebel against the unpopular Hormizd. It was their
knowledge of Hormizd’s reaction to military failure, rather than to the specific deaths of
their leaders, which persuaded the survivors of the Persian army at Nisibis to agree to join
Vahram. See Whitby, Maurice 290-1.
308
EVAGRIUS
gained entry over this, and captured the fortress by force. 60 As a result,
the Persians thereafter despaired of the situation at Martyropolis.
16 While these matters were in progress the Persians made away with
Hormisdas, who had been the most wicked of kings since he penalized
his subjects not only with fines but with diverse types of death. 61
17 After him they installed as king his son Chosroes, against whom
Varam campaigned with his men. Chosroes confronted him with |234| an
insufficient force and fled as he saw his own men deserting. 62 He arrived
at Circesium after calling, as he himself says, upon the God of the Chris¬
tians that his horse should set off for wherever it might be directed by
Him. He arrived together with his wives and two newly born children and
certain Persian noblemen, who had voluntarily accompanied him; from
there he sent an embassy to the emperor Maurice. 63 The latter, devising
the most excellent plan even in this matter, and from this taking the
measure of the uncertainty and changeability of life and the sudden varia¬
tions and about-turns of human existence, accepted the petition and
made him a guest instead of a fugitive, and a son instead of a runaway, by
60 Cf. n. 57 above; the fort had probably been captured once before by the Romans, in
583, when they slighted the fortifications, and was perhaps then recovered by the Persians
during the Roman mutiny in 588.
61 For Hormizd’s bad reputation, cf. Theophylact iii.17.1; Tabari, pp. 267ff; Anon. Guidi
1. In the late autumn and winter of 589, Hormizd had tried to organize forces to oppose
Vahram in northern Mesopotamia, but these troops also went over to the rebels. In early
February there were disturbances in Ctesiphon, and prisoners were released from the
gaols, including Vindoe, a maternal uncle of Khusro II. On 6 February Vindoe forcibly
removed Hormizd from the throne and denounced the king’s avarice, violence and injustice:
Theophylact iv.2.5-4.18, and for discussion, see Whitby, Maurice 292-5.
62 Khusro II was crowned on 15 February, and had to confront Vahram, who main¬
tained his rebellion in spite of the change of monarch, outside Ctesiphon on 20 February;
(here was a night battle on 28 February, and Khusro fled the next day. Narrative in Theo¬
phylact iv.7.1—9.11.
63 The story of Khusro’s appeal to the Christian God is also recorded in Theophylact
iv.10.2-3. In the desperate circumstances of Khusro’s flight, such indecision is unlikely,
and there are indications that Khusro had been making preparations to approach the
Romans, since he attempted to persuade the Nestorian Catholicus to accompany him; see
Whitby, Maurice 295-7. The most prominent nobles to follow him into exile were his ma¬
ternal uncles, Vistam and Vindoe, although the latter permitted himself lo be captured in
order to delay the close pursuit by Vahram’s men. At Circesium, Khusro was welcomed by
the Roman commander Probus, who reported developments to Comentiolus at Hierapolis,
and then to Maurice.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
309
welcoming him with imperial gifts. N ot only did he make preparations for
and entertain them in royal fashion, but the empress also did the same for
the consorts of Chosroes and their children to his children. 64
18 He also sent a complete imperial bodyguard and the whole Roman
army together with their general to follow him wherever he wished, and
for his greater honour Domitian Bishop of Melitene, a relative of his, an
intelligent and shrewd man, most particularly capable in word and deed
and most energetic in the greatest of affairs. 65 He also sent Gregory,
who astonished Chosroes in all things, conversation, gift-giving, and
proposing what was opportune for events. 66
19 After coming as far as the city of the Hierapolitans, the chief place of
Euphratesia, Chosroes again turned back, since Maurice had made this
decision and paid more attention to what was advantageous to his
suppliant than to his personal reputation. 67 He welcomed him with
64 Khusro’s initial appeal is recorded verbatim by Theophylact iv.l 1; this focused on the
need for the two civilized kingdoms of the world to offer each other mutual assistance in the
variable sequence of human affairs, and Khusro made plain his subordinate position by pre¬
senting himself as a son and suppliant. Maurice responded favourably and Khusro was hon¬
ourably welcomed, but it was some time before Maurice committed himself to offering full
support for Khusro’s return.
65 Khusro had moved from Circesium to Hierapolis, where he was hospitably enter¬
tained by the Roman commander, Comentiolus. In due course, however, Khusro began to
become impatient that no visible commitment to support for his return had been made by
Maurice, and he contemplated travelling to Constantinople to present his case. Maurice
dissuaded him from this journey, but an embassy was sent to underline Khusro’s requests.
This was probably received at Constantinople in summer 590 and it was only after some
debate, in which the patriarch John Nesteutes argued the opposite view, that Maurice
decided to lend military assistance to Khusro. It was at this point that Bishop Domitian,
who was probably Maurice’s nephew (PLRE III. 411; see also Honigmann, Studies 217-
25), was deputed, along with Gregory of Antioch, to accompany Khusro; Khusro had
dropped hints about his interest in Christianity, and there was a hope that he could be con¬
verted. See Whitby, Maurice 297-300.
After his restoration, Khusro asked Maurice for a bodyguard, and Maurice supplied him
with 1,000 men (Theophylact v. 11.9).
The brief character sketch of Domitian combines two of the qualities attributed to
Gregory of Antioch (energy and capability: cf. v.6), and two of those possessed by
Maurice (intelligence and shrewdness: v.19).
66 Another echo of the eulogy of Gregory at v. 6.
67 Cf. n. 65 above. Maurice had justified his decision that Khusro should not travel
further than Hierapolis on the grounds that he must remain near the frontier to prevent
Vahram from consolidating his position in Persia.
310
EVAGRIUS
great sums of money, such as have never been recorded before. And after
enrolling Persians and providing all the expenses from his own resources,
he dispatched Chosroes across the frontier with both armies, one Roman
and one Persian, once Martyropolis and Sittas had been handed over to
him; Sittas was stoned and impaled by the people of Martyropolis. |235|
Dara was also handed over by the Persians, who withdrew from it. 68
And after Varam had been overcome in a single engagement by the
Romans alone, and had ingloriously fled by himself, Chosroes was
returned to his own kingdom. 69
20 At that time, indeed, Golinduch the martyr was living among us; she
had endured martyrdom through many travails when the Persian magi
had tortured her, and she became the worker of great miracles. Stephen
the former bishop of the Hierapolitans has written her life. 70
68 The expedition to restore Khusro, which comprised an army in Armenia as well the
main force in upper Mesopotamia, did not cross the frontier until spring 591, an indication
of the length of preparations. Shortly before the departure, Maurice had responded to a
request from Khusro by providing him with a substantial loan: Theophylact v.2.5-6. As
part of the price for Roman support, Khusro had to agree to the surrender of Martyropolis
and Dara; for some time the defenders of Martyropolis disregarded Khusro’s instructions,
presumably because Vahram promised rewards for loyalty to him, but the Persians even¬
tually handed the city over, perhaps in February 591. According to Theophylact, the
traitor Sittas was taken with the other captives to the royal camp near Nisibis, where Co-
mentiolus had him publicly tortured and burnt. Discussion in Whitby, Maurice 297-300.
69 Vahram avoided a confrontation with Khusro’s combined army in Mesopotamia; he
withdrew eastwards through the Zagros Mountains to Azerbaijan, attempting to fight his
opponents before their different contingents united; this plan failed, and he then continued
his retreat east, probably in the hope of obtaining help from Ihe Turks, but was brought to
battle on the plain of Canzak in late summer 591. The Roman contingent played a major
part in the successful campaign, though Evagrius has underestimated the Persian contribu¬
tion. Discussion in Whitby, Maurice 302^1.
70 Golinduch was a noble Persian convert to Christianity, who was imprisoned for her
belief after interrogation by Zoroastrian priests (magi)', after a miraculous release, or escape
from execution (though according to the Life she insisted on having her head cut off), she
found sanctuary in the Roman empire and resided at Hierapolis; while there she made
various predictions to Bishop Domitian about an embassy he was undertaking to Persia,
and then to the exiled King Khusro. She died on 13 July 591.
Two separate versions of her Life survive, a Greek text composed by Eustratius in 602,
and a Georgian version which has been identified by Garitte (‘Passion’) as a translation of
Ihe account by Stephen of Hierapolis (who probably wrote in Syriac). Theophylact too in¬
cludes an account of Golinduch, much longer than that of Evagrius, immediately after his
record of Khusro’s restoration (v. 12). Discussion in Whitby, Maurice 236-7, and for some¬
what different conclusions on the interaction of the sources, see Olajos, Theophylacte 67-82.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
311
21 When Chosroes became master of his own kingdom, he sent to
Gregory a cross that was bedecked with much gold and costly stones, to
honour the prize-winning martyr Sergius. Theodora, the wife of Justinian,
had dedicated this, but Chosroes had looted it along with the other treas¬
ures, as has already been recorded by me. He also sent another golden
cross, and Chosroes inscribed the following on the cross in Greek letters: 71
This cross do I give, I Chosroes, king of kings, son of Chosroes, 72
after we had come to Romania as a result of the devilish activity
and wickedness of the most ill-fated Barames Gusnas and the
cavalrymen with him, on account of the approach towards
Nisibis of the ill-fated Zadespram with an army for the seduction
of the cavalrymen in the district of Nisibis to rebellion and com¬
motion; we too sent cavalrymen with an officer to Charcas; 73
and through the fortune of the holy Sergius, the all-revered and
renowned, when we heard that he was a granter of requests, in
the first year of our reign, on the seventh of the month January,
we requested, that if |236| our cavalrymen should slay or over¬
come Zadespram, we would send a gold bejewelled cross to his
house on account of his all-revered name; and on the ninth of the
month February they brought to us the head of Zadespram; and
so, having achieved our request, so that each thing is beyond
dispute, to his all-revered name this cross which is from us, to¬
gether with the cross sent by the Roman emperor Justinian to his
house, and which was conveyed here in the time of the estrange¬
ment between the two empires by Chosroes, king of kings, son of
71 The text of the dedication is also recorded, with a few minor variations, by Theophy-
lact v. 13.4-6, although he regarded Khusro’s message as a letter rather than an inscribed
text. For the differences, for which the plausible explanation is that Evagrius copied the
actual inscriptions whereas Theophylact relied on a written version sent to Constantinople,
see Allen, Evagrius 259-61, who summarizes the debate between M. J. Higgins (BZ 48
[1955] 89-102) and P. Peeters ( Memoires de VAcademie des Inscriptions et des Belles
Lettres 44 [1960] 99-119); also Elizabeth Fowden, Plain 133^40. For Khusro Fs attack on
Sergiopolis (Resafa) in 542 and the capture of Justinian’s cross, see Evagrius iv.28.
72 Khusro II was son of Hormizd and grandson of Khusro I; he deliberately ignores his
unpopular father.
73 This refers to an incident in January 591, when Vahram dispatched a supporter called
Zatsparham in an attempt to secure the loyalty of the troops at Nisibis, whom Khusro had
been courting (Theophylact v.l). This created a crisis for Khusro but, after appealing for
Sergius’ help, he managed to prevent Zatsparham from reaching the city.
312
EVAGRIUS
Cabades, our father, and which was discovered in our treasuries,
we have sent to the house of the holy all-revered Sergius.
And on the decision of the emperor Maurice, Gregory took these and
dedicated them with great ceremony in the sacred house of the martyr. 74
Not long after Chosroes also sent other gifts to the said sacred shrine,
after inscribing the following in the Greek tongue on a paten made of
gold: 75
I Chosroes, king of kings, son of Chosroes, have written what is
on this paten not for the sight of men, nor that the greatness of
your all-revered name may be known from my words, but on
account of the truth of what is written and on account of the
many favours and benefactions which I had from you: for it is
good fortune for me that my name should be carried on your
holy vessels. During the time that I was in Beramais, 76 1 requested
of you, holy one, that you come to my assistance and that Siren
conceive in her womb. And since Siren is Christian and I a
pagan, our |237] law does not grant us freedom to have a Chris¬
tian wife. But, on account of my gratitude to you, I disregarded
this law, and this one among my wives I held and hold from day
to day as legitimate, and thus I decided to beseech your goodness,
holy one, that she conceive in her womb. 77 And I requested and
74 Sergiopolis was an important, but also sensitive site (see Elizabeth Fowden, Plain ch.
3), not least because it was a religious centre for the Ghassanid Arabs, whose attachment to
the Romans had been affected by the arrests of their leaders al-Mundhir and Numan (cf.
vi.2). The consultation with Maurice ensured that the dedications were made by the Chalce-
donian hierarchy, as Elizabeth Fowden rightly observes (Plain 139), though I am less con¬
vinced by her suggestion that Khusro was deliberately taking over Justinian and Theodora’s
place as imperial patron of the shrine: such a challenge to the Roman emperor seems unli¬
kely at this stage of his reign, and Maurice probably consented to the dedication precisely
because it demonstrated Sasanid acceptance of the power of the Christian God.
75 Theophylact also records the text of this dedication, again with minor variants (v.14);
he suggests that there was a rather longer gap between the donations, since he dates the
request, 'in the third year’, which points to 593/4 if counted inclusively from Khusro’s
return, or 592 if it represents Khusro’s regnal year.
76 I.e. Beth Aramaye, the area of Lower Mesopotamia where the royal capitals were
located.
77 Shirin, a Christian from Khuzistan, remained Khusro’s favourite wife, and she and
her eldest son Merdanshah were among the casualties in the palace coup which overthrew
Khusro II in 628. Another miracle about conception by Shirin is recorded in Anon. Guidi 8,
where she gives birth to Merdanshah after Gabriel of Sinjar, a Christian doctor at court.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
313
ordained that if Siren should conceive in her womb I would send to
your all-revered shrine the cross worn by her. And on this account
both I and Siren have this purpose, that we should have possession
of this cross in remembrance of your name, holy one. And instead
of it we have resolved to dispatch as its value 5,000 staters,
although it does not extend beyond 4,400 miliary staters. 78
And from the time when I had the said request in my mind and
made this resolution until the time we came to Rhesonchosron 79
no more than ten days elapsed, and you, holy one, not because I
am worthy but because of your goodness, you appeared to me in a
dream at night and thrice said to me that Siren had conceived in
her womb. And in the same dream I thrice responded to you
saying: “Good”. And because you are the granter of requests,
from that day Siren did not know what is customary for women.
But I had doubts about this, but for the fact that I trusted in your
words and that you are holy and a granter of requests, after she
did not experience what women do, from this I knew the power of
the dream and the truth of what you had spoken. And so straight¬
away I sent the said cross and its value to your all-revered
house, 80 ordering that from its value one paten and |238| one
chalice should be made for the sake of the divine mysteries, but
indeed also that a cross be made which should be fixed on the
honoured altar, and a censer all of gold, and a Hunnic curtain
decorated with gold; and the miliaresia left over from this sum
are for your holy house, so that through your fortune, holy one, in
all things but especially in this request, you may come to the aid
of myself and Siren, and that what has come to us through your
intercession may proceed to completion through the mercy of
your goodness and for the wish of myself and Siren; so that I and
had let blood from her arm. Khusro had a second Christian wife, known as Maria the
Roman.
78 The Roman silver coin, the miliarensis (the word used later in the inscription at p.
238:5) had fallen out of use in the fifth century, whereas Persians still used silver. Khusro
presumably was calculating in dirhams, the standard Persian coin.
79 A Persian royal palace near the Diyala river.
80 In the previous paragraph it appeared that Khusro and Shirin intended to retain the
cross and substitute a greater monetary compensation, but here it seems that both the cross
and the money are being sent.
314
EVAGRIUS
Siren and everyone in the world may have hope in your power and
still trust in you.
This is what Chosroes’ dedications say, in no way discordant with the
prophecy of Barlaam, 81 since the merciful God has wisely provided that
heathen tongues should utter words of salvation.
22 At that time too Naaman, the tribal leader of the enemy Scenites, a
most abominable and totally polluted heathen, to the extent even of sacri¬
ficing men to his demons with his own hand, approached for holy baptism,
after melting down in a fire a golden Aphrodite, which was in truth created
matter, distributing this to the beggars, and bringing all his followers to
God. 82 But Gregory, after donating Chosroes’ crosses, 83 with the
approval of the emperor travelled round the deserts of what is called the
Limites where the doctrines of Severus are particularly prevalent,
expounded the doctrines of the Church, and brought into the Church of
God many fortresses and villages and monasteries and whole tribes. 84
81 Numbers 22-4: Balaam was an eastern prophet summmoned by the Moabite king to
curse the Israelites, but he found himself constrained to pronounce a blessing.
82 The Lakhmid leader Numan (580-602) was known for his devotion to idols ( Chron.
Seert p. 468); his father, al-Mundhir, was said by Procopius (Wars ii.28.13) to have sacri¬
ficed the son of his enemy, the Ghassanid al-Harith, to his divinity al-Uzza (Aphrodite).
Numan was on bad terms with Khusro II after refusing to accompany his journey into
exile, and he was eventually put to death by him.
83 Gregory dedicated the first crosses in late 591 or early 592 (Allen, Evagrius 264, plau¬
sibly suggested 7 October 591, (he saint’s feast day), depending on how long it took Khusro
to identify the cross of Justinian and Theodora and Maurice to approve the dedication.
Gregory died in mid-592, and the second cross and the money for other altar furnishings
could not have arrived before that.
84 Establishment of peace in the East made this an opportune moment to try again to
reunite the Church: the prestige of the emperor was high, the patriarch could safely visit
(he frontier regions, there was no danger that religious coercion would disrupt the empire’s
defences, and the Ghassanid Arabs, staunch supporters of Monophysites, had less influence
since their military services were not currently in demand. This is Evagrius’ only reference to
contemporary Monophysites, who are labelled as followers of Patriarch Severus of
Antioch, and it is a moot point whether he has deliberately concealed the existence of this
major rift in the Church (Allen, Evagrius 42^1,243), or whether from his personal perspec¬
tive of the city of Antioch and the province of Second Syria (a Chalcedonian region)
(he Monophysite issue was not quite as pressing as modern commentators assume (cf.
Introduction, pp. xl-xlvii). Domitian of Melitene was given imperial permission to mount
a campaign against Monophysites in 598/9, which supposedly led to 400 martyrdoms
outside the walls of Edessa (Michael the Syrian x.23, II. pp. 372-3).
For the sense of limes/limites as a frontier region, see Isaac, ‘Meaning’ 132-8.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
315
23 During this time Symeon, who is among the saints, fell mortally ill
and, after I had passed on the news of this, |239] Gregory rushed to
salute him for the last time; but he did not succeed. 85 Of all men in his
time Symeon was the most exceptional for virtue, since from his
tenderest youth he had pursued the life on a column, so that he had even
acquired his second teeth on his station on the column.
He was elevated onto the column in the following way. While he
was still extremely young in age, he was wandering around the
peaks of the mountains, roaming about and playing like a child.
And on encountering a wild leopard he put his belt around its neck,
and with this bridle he led it, forgetful of its real nature, and
brought it to his own monastery. When his teacher, who was
himself standing on a column, saw this, he enquired what this was,
and he said it was a feline which is customarily called a cat. Inferring
from this how great his virtue would be, he brought him up onto the
column. 86 On this column, and on another one on the very topmost
summit of the mountain, he spent 68 years, being deemed worthy of
every grace in respect of the expulsion of demons, and curing every
disease and every sickness, and foreseeing the future just like the
present. 87 He actually predicted to Gregory that he would not see
his death, but that he was ignorant of matters after that.
He saw my thoughts about the loss of my children, and that I was
perplexed as to why this had never happened to pagans with many chil¬
dren; even though I had never expressed any of this to anyone, he wrote
that I should distance myself from these thoughts, as it was displeasing
85 Symeon Stylites the Younger died on 24 May 592.
86 The Life of Symeon the Younger has a rather different account (chs. 7-15). When
Symeon was aged five, his father perished in the Antioch earthquake of 526; thereafter he
was led by the vision of a man in white towards Seleucia and, on a mountain, he found a
small monastery under the leadership of a stylite named John; Symeon’s austerity and the
signs of his wisdom impressed John, and at the age of six Symeon performed his first
miracle; at the age of seven, i.e. in 528, Symeon mounted a column placed next to that of
John. For full discussion of his life, and the evidence for it, see Van den Ven, Symeon. For
the physical remains on the Miraculous Mountain, see Djobadze, Antioch ch. 2. For
another feline miracle, see n. 90 below.
87 Symeon spent six years on his first column, then a further eight years on a much taller
column at the same monastery. At the age of 20, i.e. in 541, he decided to move to the top of
the Miraculous Mountain, where a major monastic complex grew up around his column. If
the evidence of the Life is right, that he first ascended a column about two years after the
earthquake of 526, then he only spent 64 years on a column.
316
EVAGRIUS
to God. 88 And with regard to the wife of one of my secretaries, when her
milk was obstructed after she had given birth and the infant was in
extreme danger, he placed his hand on the husband’s right hand and
enjoined him to place this on his wife’s breasts. When he had done this,
at once the milk sprang forth as if from a spring, so that the wife’s dress
was soaked.
And when a child had been forgotten late at night by a group of
travellers, a lion put it on its back [240] and brought it to the Enclosure, 89
and on Symeon’s instructions the attendants went out and brought in the
child, which had been protected by the lion. 90 He has done many other
things as well which surpass recollection, which require an elegant
tongue and time and a separate treatise, since they are celebrated on the
tongues of men. 91 For people from nearly every land, not only Romans
but also barbarians, visited him and obtained what they requested. For
him the branches of a bush which grew upon the mountain took the
place of all food and drink. 92
24 Shortly after Gregory too passed away: he was afflicted by the
ailment of gout, by which he was particularly troubled, and had drunk a
medicine composed of what is called Hermodactylus that had been
supplied by one of the Asclepiades. 93 He perished when Gregory, who
succeeded Pelagius, was bishop of elder Rome, John of New Rome,
88 This miracle is also recorded at Life ch. 233, where Evagrius is said to have had a spe¬
cific inhabitant of Epiphania in mind. There are several instances in Barsanuphius’ Questions
and Answers, where the old man divines the problem afflicting his interlocutor (31,44).
89 The name of Symeon’s sacred space copies that of Symeon the Elder: cf. i.14 with n.
138 above.
90 At Life ch. 68 there is a different lion miracle: by speaking Symeon’s name a man was
saved from an attacking lion; subsequently Symeon ordered the animal to leave the Mira¬
culous Mountain, although it occasionally returned to visit his monastery, without ever
harming anyone; for another lion miracle, cf. iv.7 with n. 24 above.
91 Evagrius is clearly writing before the composition of Symeon’s Life.
92 As a young boy, Symeon had prayed to be spared the need to depend on mortal food
(Life ch. 47), and in old age he told his disciples that he existed on a weekly delivery of divine
sustenance which appeared after the celebration of communion (Life ch. 256).
93 I.e. physicians. The exact date in 592 of Gregory’s death is not known.
Elizabeth Fowden has suggested (Plain 136) that the final chapters of Evagrius’ work
focus on ‘important participants in the political life of the frontier zone’. I am not con¬
vinced: the unifying themes seem to be the achievements of Patriarch Gregory and the de¬
monstration, through the traditional fare of ecclesiastical historiography, that God still
fully supported the Roman empire.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK VI
317
Eulogius of the city Alexander, as has been said by me, Anastasius of the
city of the Theopolitans, since he had been returned to his own see after
23 years, and John of Jerusalem; soon afterwards the last died and
nobody has yet been entrusted with the rudders there. 94
At this point let my history be terminated, in the twelfth year of
Maurice Tiberius’ direction of the Roman empire, 95 with subsequent
events being left for those who wish to collect and record them. If anything
has been omitted or inaccurately reported, let no one reproach me with
blame, taking into account the fact that I have collected a scattered narra¬
tive, undertaking the task for the benefit of mankind, on whose account
indeed we have endured such labours. There has been prepared by me
another volume, which contains reports, letters, decrees, speeches, discus¬
sions and other similar matters; almost all the reports contained in it were
composed in the name of Gregory of Theopolis. As a result of these
works I also obtained two honours, since Tiberius Constantine |241]
invested me with the rank of quaestor, and Maurice Tiberius sent me pre-
fectural diptychs for what we composed at the time when he freed the
empire from the disgrace and brought Theodosius into the light,
providing a foretaste of every happiness for himself and for the state. 96
Of Evagrius of Epiphania, scholasticus and ex-prefect, six books of
Ecclesiastical History.
94 The synchronism begins with the patriarchs in post at the moment of Gregory’s death.
Pope Gregory at Rome (590-604), John Nesteutes at Constantinople (582-95) and Eulogius
at Alexandria (580-608), who had been mentioned at v. 16. But Evagrius then moves forward
to Gregory’s successor at Antioch, where Anastasius was returned to the see on 25 March
593, and to Jerusalem, where John died in 594, to be succeeded later that year by Amos.
95 August 593^4.
96 Evagrius’ volume of documents might have resembled the Variae of Cassiodorus,
documents composed in the name of Theoderic and the other Ostrogothic rulers whom he
had served. Official positions and ranks were granted by means of imperial codicils (see
Jones, ERE 530), which were regularly described by means of the grade which they con¬
ferred: hence ‘prefectural diptychs’ was the imperial message which granted Evagrius the
honorary rank of prefect.
Theodosius was born on 4 August 584, occasioning great rejoicing (John of Ephesus, EH
v.14). No emperor since Arcadius had produced a son to succeed to the throne, with the
partial exception of the short-lived Leo II (born to Zeno before the death of Leo I); there
was a Monophysite belief that emperors were being punished for their support for Chalce-
don by being unable to produce a male heir (e.g. Letters of Severus 55, a posthumous pro¬
phecy by the monk Nisthora; John of Nikiu 116). Maurice had four other sons, Tiberius,
Peter, Justin and Justinian; all perished with Maurice in 602.
APPENDIX I
BISHOPS OF THE MAIN EASTERN SEES AND OF ROME
(C. 430-600) 1
Constantinople
Nestorius
428-31
Maximian
431-4
Proclus
434-47
Flavian
447-9
Anatolius
449-58
Gennadius
458-71
Acacius
472-89
Fravita
490
Euphemius
490-6
Macedonius II
496-511
Timothy
511-18
John II
518-20
Epiphanius
520-35
Anthimus
535-6
Menas
536-52
Eutychius
552-65, 577-82
John III scholasticus (of Sirmium)
565-77
John IV Nesteutes
582-95
Alexandria
Cyril
412M4
Dioscorus
444-51
Proterius
451-7
Timothy II Aelurus
457-60,475-7
Timothy III Salophaciolus
460-75,477-82
Peter Mongus
477,482-9
John I Talaia
482
Athanasius II
489-96
1 For complete lists of all the major sees, see Grumel, Chronologie 430-53.
320
APPENDIX I
John II
496-505
John III (of Nikiu)
505-16
Dioscorus II
516-17
Timothy IV
517-35
Theodosius
535-7
Gaianus
535
Paul the Tabennesiot
537-40
Zoilus
540-51
Apollinarius
551-70
John IV
570-80
Eulogius
580-608
Antioch
John
428-441
Domnus
442-9
Maximus
450-5
Basil
456-8
Acacius
458-9
Martyrius
459-70
Peter the Fuller
469-70,470/1,475-7,485-9
Julian
471-5
John II Codonatus
477
Stephen II
477-9
Calandion
479-84
Palladius
490-8
Flavian II
498-512
Severus
512-18
Paul II the Jew
519-21
Euphrasius
521-6
Ephrem of Amida
527-45
Domninus
545-59
Anastasius
559-70,593-8
Gregory
570-92
Jerusalem
Juvenal
422-58
Theodosius
451-7
Anastasius
458-78
Martyrius
478-86
LIST OF BISHOPS
321
Salustius
486-94
Elias
494-516
John III
516-24
Peter
524-52
Macarius
552, 564-75
Eustochius
552-63
John IV
574-94
Amos
594-601
Rome
Celestine
422-32
Sixtus III
432-40
Leo
440-61
Hilary
461-8
Simplicius
468-83
Felix III
483-92
Gelasius
492-6
Anastasius II
496-8
Symmachus
498-514
Hormisdas
514-23
John I
523-6
Felix IV
526-30
Boniface II
530-2
John II
533-5
Agapetus
535-6
Silverius
536-7
Vigilius
537-55
Pelagius I
555-61
John III Catelinus
561-74
Benedict
575-9
Pelagius II
579-90
Gregory
590-604
APPENDIX II
THE IMAGE OF EDESSA
Although it is generally accepted that Evagrius is the first author to
mention the miraculous image of Christ at Edessa, a radical challenge
to this orthodoxy has been mounted by Chrysostomides. 1 Chrysosto-
mides argues that the allusion to the icon was introduced into Evagrius’
text in the eighth century, in the context of the iconoclast dispute:
Evagrius’ account of the icon was read out at the Ecumenical Council of
787, when a copy of the text presented to the Council by the monk
Stephen had this passage erased, although George, abbot of the monas¬
tery of Hyacinthus, fortunately happened to possess a complete text. 2
According to Chrysostomides, Stephen’s text represented the genuine
Evagrius whereas that of George had been adapted for its current
purpose. Thus, far from being an important example of the development
of the cult of icons in the sixth century and of the role of Christianity in
defending the empire’s frontiers, the story of the icon would be an
instance, equally interesting, of the fabrication of material during the
Iconoclast Dispute. There are, however, several problems in Chrysosto¬
mides’ analysis.
(1) The closeness of Evagrius’ account to Procopius is overstated. In
fact, Evagrius conflated the Procopian account of events in 540, when
Abgar’s letter proved its worth, with the major siege of 544. 3 Evagrius
transformed the siege mound into the centrepiece of his presentation, a
substantial simplification of the more extended narrative in Procopius,
but a change which deliberately focused attention on the miraculous
nature of its destruction. Procopius recorded two miracles with regard
to the 540 attack (Khusro lost his way and suffered a headache: Wars
ii. 12.32-3), but nothing miraculous about the burning of the mound in
544. Evagrius had a different story to tell, and so ignored the events of
540 to focus on the greater wonders in 544.
1 ‘Investigation’ xxiv-xxviii; I am indebted to Chrysostomides for the opportunity to
consider her arguments in advance of publication.
2 Mansi, Collectio XIII. 189D-192C.
3 Chrysostomides, ‘Investigation’ xxv, does not notice this conflation.
324
APPENDIX II
(2) Chrysostomides alleges a gross contradiction in the description
of the igniting of the mound: the timbers are said to have been
reduced to ashes (p. 175:15-16), but then the Evagrian narrative
switches back to the Procopian account in which the mound only
gradually catches fire and the defenders have to prevent the Persians
from realizing what is happening. 4 This objection can be evaded by
clarifying what was probably happening underneath the mound. The
defenders constructed a long tunnel with a sizeable burning chamber
at its end, whose roof was supported on timbers to prevent the mound
collapsing prematurely, and the inside of the mine was filled with a
variety of combustible material: this is clear in Procopius (Wars
ii.27.4), but has been obscured in Evagrius’ abbreviation of his source.
There were then problems in igniting the material, which Procopius
admits (Wars ii.27.7); Evagrius had more exciting information about
this development and so departed from Procopius’ story. After the
intervention of the icon it was the material introduced by the defenders
and those few Persian timbers in the immediate vicinity which were
rapidly reduced to ashes; this generated enough heat to initiate the
much more gradual process whereby the fire ate its way through the
rest of the Persian mound above (where the binding timbers would
gradually be burnt away). Experience of burning turves on a garden
bonfire would suggest that Evagrius has accurately described two
distinct stages, an initial blaze deep inside the mound followed by a
slower smouldering process; on the other hand, the process of
combining Procopius with his own miraculous story has led to some
lack of clarity in exactly what was being burnt, and when.
(3) Evagrius does not cite his source for the story of the icon. Evagrius
often, though not invariably, cites his written sources, especially if he is
paraphrasing their material or disagrees with their presentation, but he
is much more haphazard with regard to oral material. In the very next
chapter (iv.28) he does not cite his source for the miracle at Sergiopolis,
which secured for that city a comparable delivery from Khusro’s atten¬
tions. So, the lack of a citation for the acheiropoietos story is not
‘contrary to his usual habit’. 5 In fact Evagrius does suggest that he has
his own information to present about Edessa, since, after referring to
4 ‘Investigation’ xxvi.
5 Chrysostomides, ‘Investigation’ xxi.
THE IMAGE OF EDESSA
325
Procopius on Abgar’s letter, he states: ‘But I will tell you what happened’
(p. 174:19), a formula which can indicate a change of source. 6
(4) The miraculous icon is not mentioned by Procopius, nor the
Syriac hymn for the inauguration of S. Sophia at Edessa, nor the Syriac
Chronicle of Edessa. The silence of Procopius is no problem, especially
if the contribution of the icon was added to the story of the heroic resist¬
ance some time after the event. The Chronicle of Edessa, also known as
the Chronicon ad an. 540 was compiled shortly after the Persian attack
of 540 but before the siege of 544, which it naturally does not mention.
If the icon was not well known, or perhaps did not even exist, before the
siege of 544, this silence is of no relevance. The Syriac inaugural hymn is
not decisive, since the precise date of the text is uncertain and its refer¬
ence to a picture not made by human hands refers to natural patterns in
the marble on the church walls. 7
(5) Neither of the lists of chapter headings at the start of Book iv
mentions the icon. This again is not a problem since the briefer set of
headings (list 2) covers all the events of iv.24-8 with the entry
‘Concerning the capture of Antioch and what Khusro did to Edessa and
the other cities’ (iv.23): it fails to mention the miraculous events at
Apamea and Sergiopolis as well as the icon at Edessa. The other set of
headings contains four separate entries for Khusro’s campaign of 540
(including the capture of Antioch), the miracle of the Cross at Apamea,
the attack on Edessa and the miracle at Sergiopolis (iv.25-8); we do not
know the date of composition for either set of headings, although I
regard the briefer set as earlier. 8 No firm hypotheses can be built on
these headings. Thus, even if the omission of any mention of the Edessa
miracle from the longer list is regarded as significant, it could be postu¬
lated that this list was drawn up to reflect the text of Evagrius as doctored
by the iconoclasts in the eighth century.
There is insufficient substance to uphold Chrysostomides’ attack on
the integrity of Evagrius’ narrative. Consideration of the broader shape
of Evagrius’ exploitation of Procopius in this part of Book iv also
supports the conclusion that Evagrius composed this chapter around
6 Cf. iii.18 for an analogous phrase that marks a more explicit departure from his source,
Zachariah; also iv.26, p. 172:29-30; iv.28, p. 176:7; iv.29, p. 177:3.
7 See Chrysostomides, ‘Investigation’ xxvii; Cameron, ‘Iconoclasm’ 38; Palmer and
Rodley, ‘Hymn’ 128-32.
8 See the note to the Book i headings.
326
APPENDIX II
the miracle of the icon. Evagrius has extracted a very particular range of
information from Procopius’ narratives of the Vandal and Gothic wars,
essentially information that has a Christian flavour. On turning to the
Persian wars of the 540s, Evagrius begins with a general summary of
Khusro’s attack in 540, but then focuses on the fates of three cities
where miracles demonstrated divine favour for the Romans and
thwarted Khusro’s ambitions; he is almost answering the agnostic
despair of Procopius over the destruction of Antioch ( Wars ii.10.4). In
each case Evagrius is able to present significant material that is not in
Procopius: his personal experiences at Apamea and the behaviour of
Bishop Thomas, the achievement of the icon at Edessa and the vision
which defended Sergiopolis. It is precisely because he has extra material
that he devotes so much space to these cities; in the case of Edessa he
actually ignores those miracles reported by Procopius as proof of the
protection afforded by Christ’s letter, because he has a much more
dramatic miracle of his own to introduce. Without the acheiropoietos
icon, there would be no major miracle in this chapter and the logic of
the narrative construction would be undermined. This wider perspective
is not considered by Chrysostomides.
Chrysostomides presents her arguments about Evagrius in the
context of a study devoted to The Letter of the Three Patriarchs. In this
text of the ninth century, the fire miracle associated with the Edessa
image (5b) is considerably distorted: while besieging Edessa, Khusro
heaped olive wood all round the city which he ignited to create a
massive blaze that threatened to engulf the inhabitants; Bishop Eulalius
toured the ramparts, carrying the image, and then a miraculous blast of
wind drove the flames against the Persians. This example of the malle¬
ability of hagiographic stories is interesting in its own right, but does
not help to demonstrate that Evagrius’ version was produced in the
context of the same theological disputes.
GLOSSARY
Acacian Schism. The dispute (484-518) which divided the Eastern and
Western Churches because of Patriarch Acacius’ acceptance of
Zeno’s Henoticon, which was regarded as an insult to papal
authority.
Alexandrian theology/Christology. The approach to the understanding
of the person of Christ associated with the see of Alexandria, whose
most important exponent was Cyril. Alexandrian Christology
emphasized the divine nature of Christ and the strict unity of His
person, in contrast to the rival Antiochene Christology.
Anathema. A declaration of exclusion from the Church, analogous to
excommunication but somewhat stronger; equivalent to secular
damnatio memoriae by removal of a name or names from the
Diptychs.
Antiochene theology/Christology. The approach to the understanding of
the person of Christ associated with the see of Antioch, whose most
important exponents were Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of
Mopsuestia, Nestorius and Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Antiochene
Christology emphasized the humanity of Christ, and described the
union of divinity and humanity in His person more loosely than
did the rival Alexandrian tradition. It was labelled ‘Nestorian’ by
opponents, often unfairly.
Aphthartodocetism. The heretical theory advocated by Julian of
Halicarnassus that Christ’s body was incorruptible (aphthartos) and
impassible, which Justinian espoused in 564/5.
apocrisarius. Official representative, often for an absent bishop (e.g. for
the pope at Constantinople, or for a provincial bishop at a Church
Council).
Apollinarians. Followers of the fourth-century heretic Apollinarius, who
denied the presence in Christ of a human mind or soul, thereby
simplifying the union of divinity and humanity in the person of
Christ but rejecting His full humanity.
Arians, neo-Arians. Followers of the fourth-century Egyptian here-
siarch, Arius, who had denied the full divinity of Christ by arguing
that He had been created by God the Father, to whom he was
328
GLOSSARY
therefore subordinate. This view was rejected at Nicaea in 325 in
favour of the homoousios formula.
Chalcedonians. Supporters of the Council of Chalcedon and its formula
that Christ was one person in two natures, the divine consubstantial
with the Father, the human consubstantial with us.
Consubstantial. See homoousios.
Diptychs. Lists of names of those for whom prayers were offered during
the liturgy. Public recitation of these lists demonstrated who was
accepted as orthodox, so that removal or incorporation of a specific
name was accepted as evidence of the doctrinal affiliation of a parti¬
cular see.
Encyclical. A ‘circular’, letter. The term is used by Evagrius to describe
certain imperial missives (Leo I’s request for bishops’ views;
Basiliscus’ doctrinal expositions), and also covers letters sent by
leading churchmen, for example those from a patriarch to fellow
patriarchs or from a metropolitan bishop to those within his
diocese.
Eutychianist. Adherents of the Constantinopolitan abbot Eutyches
who had strongly affirmed the single nature of Christ, to the extent
of denying that his humanity was consubstantial with that of
mankind.
Florilegium. A collection of excerpts from Scripture and earlier Christian
writers, often compiled to support a particular doctrinal position.
Gaianist. A supporter of the Alexandrian patriarch Gaianas who
espoused Julianist doctrines.
Henoticon. The emperor Zeno’s declaration (482) of doctrinal unity
(henosis) on the basis of the Creeds of Nicaea and Constantinople
and the Twelve Anathemas of Cyril; it evaded the Christological
question of the natures in Christ, failed to endorse the Council of
Chalcedon and ignored the Tome of Leo, with the result that it gener¬
ated the Acacian Schism.
liomoiousios. Literally ‘of similar substance’, a term used by some of
those who rejected the Council of Nicaea but still sought a formula¬
tion to reconcile the homoousian Nicene position and the range of
neo-Arian views.
homoousios. Literally ‘of same substance’, the term used in the Nicene
Creed to describe the relationship between God the Father and God
the Son, with the intention of excluding the subordinationist views
connected with Arius and his supporters.
GLOSSARY
329
hypostasis. Literally ‘substance’, a term whose meaning evolved during
the fourth century to describe the individual reality of each
member of the Trinity, whose overall unity was captured by the
term onsia.
Julianist. Followers of Bishop Julian of Halicarnassus (early sixth
century), who had espoused the Aphthartodocete doctrine of the
incorruptibility of Christ’s body.
Lavra. The term for a group of monks, or the buildings associated with
them, who spent much of their time as solitaries (anchorites), but
who subjected themselves to the control of a single abbot and might
share some of their daily activities.
Macedonians. Those associated with Bishop Macedonius of Constanti¬
nople (342-62), who had supported the homoiousian position. The
term came to be applied to Pneumatomachi, those who denied the
full divinity of the Holy Spirit, even though there is no evidence to
connect Macedonius himself with this heresy.
Manichees. Followers of the Persian gnostic Mani (third century ), who
had proclaimed a dualist view of the world as a battleground
between cosmic forces of good and evil. Mani drew on the New
Testament, especially Paul’s Epistles, as well as various eastern tradi¬
tions. His views remained attractive throughout the fourth century
and into the fifth, despite repeated imperial legislation against his
followers. Because it was an accepted heretical label, Manichee was
also used as a term of abuse to describe doctrinal opponents.
Monophysites (also known as Miaphysites). Supporters of the doctrine,
associated in particular with Egypt and the eastern provinces of the
Roman empire, that the incarnate Christ the Word possessed a
single nature (mia physis) which was drawn from the two elements
of divinity and humanity.
Neo-Arians/Semi-Arians. Labels used to brand a variety of doctrinal
positions, for example the homoiousian, which sought to adapt the
Nicene definition of consubstantiality to admit the subordinate
status of God the Son.
Neo-Chalcedonians. Supporters of Chalcedon who, during the sixth
century, attempted to adapt its decisions and formulations to
accommodate more fully the doctrinal views of Cyril of Alexandria,
especially with regard to the one incarnate nature of God the Word,
with a view to reconciling Monophysites and reuniting the Eastern
Church.
330
GLOSSARY
Nestorians. Followers of Nestorius who had been deposed after the First
Council of Ephesus (431) because he rejected the term Theotokos for
the Virgin Mary and opposed the views of Cyril of Alexandria. The
Christology of Nestorius stressed the full humanity as well as full
divinity of Christ, while also accepting the unity of Flis person. The
term became one of abuse for opponents of Cyril, especially those
who strictly espoused Antiochene Christology.
Nicene Creed/doctrine. The anti-Arian definition drawn up at the
Council of Nicaea in 325 (and subsequently expanded) which
stressed the equality of God the Father and God the Son through
the homoousian formula.
oikonomos. Steward or administrator, often of ecclesiastical property.
Origenism. Views associated with alleged followers of the third-century
heretic, Origen, although the Origenist theories espoused in the fifth
and sixth centuries were derived from the teaching of Evagrius of
Pontus and Didymus the Blind. This was another convenient term of
abuse for religious opponents, especially intellectual monks who
pursued theoretical enquiries too far for the liking of others.
Photinians. Followers of the subordinationist heretic Photinus (fourth
century) who accepted the superhuman excellence of Christ without
equating him with God the Father.
rhetor. Literally ‘orator’, often used as a general term to describe a
person of education, sometimes with more specific reference to an
ability to teach rhetoric.
scholasticus. A lawyer with the training to be a public advocate.
Severans. Followers of Severus of Antioch, who espoused the ‘main¬
stream’ Cyrillan Monophysite position (as opposed, for example, to
Julianists).
skeuophylax. Treasurer.
Synodicals/synodical letters. Literally letters ‘concerned with a
council’, hence letters connected with a Church Council; also used
for a bishop’s encyclical letters since, in the context in Evagrius,
these would invariably have to address the conciliar issue of
Chalcedon.
Theopaschite. The doctrine that, because of the unity of divinity and
humanity in the incarnate Christ, God could be said to have suffered.
Provided that Theopaschite language was directly applied to Christ,
as in the Monophysite understanding of Peter the Fuller’s addition
to the Trisaghion, or to ‘one of the Trinity’ as in Justinian’s doctrinal
GLOSSARY
331
edict of 534, the heresy of attributing suffering to God Himself could
be avoided.
Theotokos. Mother of God, the standard title for the Virgin Mary, but
disputed by those who felt that it disregarded the human element in
Christ and might also lead to the treatment of the Virgin as a divinity.
Three Chapters. The convenient term for the theological initiative of
Justinian in 543/4, confirmed at the Council of Constantinople in
553, which condemned Theodore of Mopsuestia, the writings of
Theodoret of Cyrrhus against Cyril of Alexandria and the letter to
Maris attributed to Ibas of Edessa. This was one of the attempts to
adapt the decisions of Chalcedon to demonstrate that it was fully
consistent with the views of Cyril of Alexandria, in order to reconcile
contemporary Monophysites.
Tome of Leo. The letter of Pope Leo to Patriarch Flavian of Constanti¬
nople in June 449 which expounded the Christological doctrine of
the Western Church in reaction to the theories of Eutyches. The
letter was endorsed at Chalcedon, so that any subsequent attempt to
diminish the authority of that Council inevitably also challenged the
sufficiency of Pope Leo’s exposition.
Trisaghion. The refrain ‘Holy God, Holy and strong. Holy and
immortal, have mercy on us’ chanted during the eastern liturgy. The
addition ‘who was crucified for us’ was championed by Peter the
Fuller, patriarch of Antioch, and subsequent Monophysites who
regarded the hymn as a Christological statement.
Twelve Anathemas/Chapters. A statement by Cyril of Alexandria of
twelve specific doctrinal views which he prepared in 430 to demon¬
strate the heresy of Nestorius. They received formal approval at
First Ephesus (431) but were not mentioned in the acta of Chalcedon
(451) at the point when Cyril’s letters to Nestorius were approved;
this failure, which contributed to the rejection of the Council in
some quarters, was rectified at the Council of Constantinople (553).
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of Imperial Renewal in Byzantium, 4th-13th Centuries (Aldershot,
1994), 83-93.
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Byzantine Army in the East (Krakow, 1994), 227-63.
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615)’, in Averil Cameron (ed.). States, 61-123.
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Propaganda, 321-44.
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Later Greek and Latin Historiography, Lourth to Sixth Centuries
A.D. (Leiden, forthcoming).
Mary Whitby, ‘The occasion of Paul the Silentiary’s Ekphrasis of
S. Sophia’, Classical Quarterly 35 (1985), 215-28.
-, ‘On the omission of a ceremony in mid-sixth century Constanti¬
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Historia 36 (1987), 462-88.
Mary Whitby (ed.), The Propaganda of Power; the role of panegyric in
late antiquity (Leiden, 1998).
Whitby and Whitby, Chronicon Paschale; see Sources.
M. Whittow, ‘Ruling the Late Roman and Early Byzantine City: a
continuous history’, Past and Present 129 (1990), 3-29.
L. R. Wickham, ‘Aspects of Clerical Life in the Early Byzantine Church
in Two Scenes: Mopsuestia and Apamea’, JEH 46 (1995), 3-18.
F. M. Young, From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and
its Background (London, 1983).
H. Zinsser, Rats, Lice and History (London, 1935).
C. Zuckerman, ‘L’Empire d’orient et les Huns; notes sur Priscus’, TM 12
(1994), 159-82.
MAPS
Central and Eastern Mediterranean
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ALBANIA
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Jerusalem/:)
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f Circesium
Palmyra
1 Constantina
2 Eleutheropolis
3 Gaza
4 Joppa
5 Maiuma
6 Monocarton
7 QalatSeman
8 Scythopolis
9 Solachon
Rhesonchosron 1
I Ctesiphon
Seleucia
The Middle East
st aviMAOP>
Antioch
SEA OF MARMARA
INDEX OF PEOPLE AND PLACES
For some individuals, primarily writers who are both mentioned by Evagnus and
frequently cited in the footnotes, it is also necessary to consult the Index of
Topics. Similarly, sites of major Church Councils are recorded in both indices.
Abasgi 221,264
Abgar (Agbar) xix, 225,323,325
Aboras; see Khabour
Abraham, bar Khaili xliv, 211
Abydus154
Acacius, bishop of Ariarathia 103,
108
Acacius, bishop of Constantinople
xxii, xxiv, lviii, 94,133,138—
44,146-7,150-1,153-9,162,
178,210,297
Acacius, bishop of Melitene 14
Acacius, imperial messenger 267-8
Acepsimas 51
Achaea 222
Adarmahan (Adarmaanes) 224-5,
266,268-70,273,282-3
Addaeus li, 256-7
Adrianople 301
Aegean Sea/islands 97-8
Aelurus; see Timothy
Aemilianus, emperor 191
Aetherius li, 256-7
Aetius, archdeacon 107,109,113,
116-17,122,124
Aetius, patrician 44,82-3
Africa xx, 46-7,58,155
Agapetus, Pope 25,211,220
Agathias, rhetor 222,287
Akbas (Okbas) 293,307
Alamundarus; see al-Mundhir
Alans 98,255,264
Alathar 194
Albania 190
Alcison, bishop of Nicopolis xxii,
lvi, 79,168,176
Alexander, bishop of Apamea 12
Alexander, bishop of
Constantinople 76
Alexander, bishop of Hierapolis
12,169
Alexander of Drizipera 229
Alexander of Macedonlii, 165,182
Alexander Severus, emperor 191
Alexandria, Alexandrians 16-17,
42,76-9,85-6,91,114,133,
140,145-7,149,151-4,157-9,
166,168,175,187,201,203,
208-10,242,250,277,297,317
Church of John the Baptist
145-6
clergy 86,109,145,153,157
Great Church (Church of
Caesar) 16,85,146,157
Hippodrome 77,86
populace 84-5,89-90,145,158
Quirinian Church 86
Serapaeum 77,146
shipowners, navicularii 90
Tabennesiote monastery 145
362
INDEX
Tetrapylon85-6
Tychaeum 42
food supply 77,90
al-Harith (Arethas) 212,314
al-Mundhir, Ghassanid
(Alamundarus) 269,282-3,
291,312
al-Mundhir, Lakhmid
(Alamundarus) 212-13,314
Alps 273-4
Alypius of Caesarea 136
Amalasu(i)ntha xxix, 219
Amantius 196,200-1
Amasea 246,249
Amasis 85
Ambrose of Milan 106
Amida xxxi, 46,181-2
Amos 317
Amphilocius, bishop of Side 92,
108
Anaplus 194
Anastasius, bishop of Antioch xvii,
xxi, xxxvii, xli, xlviii, lvii, 80,
250-2,255,261-2,278,281,
284,317
Anastasius, bishop of Jerusalem
138
Anastasius, bishop ofNicaea 126
Anastasius, emperor xxiv, xli, lii,
79,159,164-7,172,179,190-6,
200-1,221,287
financial matters 180-1,183-6,
192-3
Persian War 46,181-2
religious policies, views xl, xlvi,
8,166,169,172-5,179,195-6,
238
reputation 166,179,184-5,193,
256,291
Anastasius, oeconomus 240
Anastasius, syncellus to Nestorius
9-10
Anatolia 302
Anatolius, bishop of
Constantinople 28,61,65-6,
89-90,93-4,100,107,111,115,
117-19,121-3
Anatolius, magister militum 45,66
Anatolius, Antiochene pagan xvii,
277-80
Anazarbus 208
Anchialus 194,301
Andrew, cubicularius 201
Andrew, governor of Thebaid 22
Andrew, imperial bodyguard 301
Andrew, enemy of Monophysites
169
Anicia Juliana 196
Anthemius, son-in-law ofMarcian
98-9,161
Anthimus, bishop of
Constantinople xlvi, 208-11,
241,244
Antioch, city (Theopolis),
Antiochenes xiii-xix, xli, xlv-
xlvi, xlix, lviii, 12,18-19,37-8,
42,45,48-9,114,124,142,
144-5,147,163,168,174,183,
192,202-6,223-4,229-31,
240,242,250-2,255,261,268,
280,283,296-7,301-2,305,
314,325-6
Antiforum 163
Basilica of Mamianus xvi
Basilica of Rufinus 45,283
Basilica of Zoilus xv, 45
Baths of Trajan, Severus &
Hadrian 95
PEOPLE AND PLACES
363
Baths ofValens 49
Baths, winter and summer xvi,
299
bouleuterion 45,48
Bursia 299
Church of Babylas 43
Church of Cassianus 284
Church of Mother of God xvi,
283,299
Colonnades 95,164
Daphne (Golden) Gate 42,49
earthquakes xxvii-xxviii, li, lvii,
37,42,94-6,203-6,239,277,
298-9,315
Era lii, 94,175,200,203,208,298
festivals at xvi, 42,240
Forum of Valens 45
Great Church xvi, 37,223,299
Hippodrome 95,297,300
Lawcourts 45
Monastery of Eupreprius
(Nestorius) xvi, 16,20
Museum 48
New City 95
Nymphaeum 95
Ostrakine 95,299
palace 95
populace xxi, 37,43,47,84,174,
175,296-7
praetorium 45
Psephium xv, 45,299
Statue of Eudocia xvi, 48
Staurin205
Stoa (basilica) of Anatolius 45-6
Stoa of Callistus 45
Tetrapylon 95
Tetrapylon of Mamianus xvi,
164
Tychaeum (Temple of Fortune)
xvi, 42
Walls xv-xvi, 49,268,299
Antioch, Patriarchate, diocese of
xxiii, xl, xlii, 16,75,92,169,
176-7,211,251
patriarch of 26,177
see also Easterners
Antiochus Chuzon 49
Antoninus (Caracalla) 191
Antoninus of Emesa (Elegabalus)
191,286
Antony, Mark 190
Apamea xiii, xvii, xxx-xxxi, xlix,
48,174,177-8,224-5,226,
268-9,325-6
Aphaca 32
Aphum 282
Apollinarius, bishop of Alexandria
242,250,277
Apollinarius of Laodicea 86-7,92,
171
Apollonius 190
Appian 286
Aquileia 44
Aquilinus of Byblus 29
Aquitania 46
Arabia 20,75,125,181,291
Arabissus281,300
Arabs, Scenites xliii, lx, 40,132,
181,212,262,268,282,291,
314
Ghassanids 181,212,229,269,
284,312,314
Lakhmids 212,284,314
Arcadius, emperor 42,188,287,
317
Arcesilaus of Caesarea 205-7
Ardabur46,98
364
INDEX
Ardabur (grandson) 36-7
Areobindus 196
Arethas; see al-Harith
Arethusa (Restan) 178
Ariadne 60,98,100,132,162-6,
172-3,214
Aricmesius (Zeno, emperor) 98
Aristobulus 300
Arius, Arians xix, xxxv, lvii, 6,21,
120,135,173,213,216
Armatus, magister mi/itum
praesentalis 142,159-60,162—
3
Armenia, Armenians liv, 163,181,
190,209,212,255,263-4,271,
274-6,281-3,310
Greater Armenia (Persarmenia)
263,274
Lesser Armenia 263
Arrian of Nicomedia 48,287
Arsaces 264
Arsenius 157-8
Arzamon 293
Arzanene 265,276,282,293,300
Ascidas; see Theodore
Asclepiades, deacon 122
Asclepiodotus, praetorian prefect
36
Asia (province) 12,62,209
Bishops oflviii, 123,138,143-4
Asiaticus, dux 179
Asinius Quadratus xxvi, 287
Aspar 46,58,60,98
Asterius of Amasea 62
Asterius, comes Orientis xvii, 296-
7,300
At(h)alarich xxix, 219
Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria
(4th century) 21,106,112,171
Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria
159,168,172
Athanasius, bishop of Perrhe 126
Athanasius, deacon 79
Athanasius, elder at Alexandria
109
Athens, Athenians 48
Atticus, bishop of Nicopolis 117
Attila 44,46,59,62,97
Augusta; see Constantina,
daughter of Maurice
Augustine, bishop of Hippo 106
Augustus, emperor lii, 165,190,263
Augustus, soldier 61
Aurelian, deacon 178
Aurelian, emperor 192
Avars lix, 181,255,258,270-1,301
Avitus 83-4
Azareth213
Azerbaijan 307,310
Azov, Sea of 183,221,256
Babylas 43-4
Balaam 314
Balkans xx, 44,57,59,132,160,162,
181,222,274,301-2
Baradatus91
Barames; seeVahram
Barsanuphius xviii, 237,241
Barsauma the Persian 169
Barsauma the Syrian 27,53,121
Basil, bishop of Antioch xxiii, 91-2
Basil, bishop of Caesarea 106,112
Basil, bishop of Ephesus 126
Basil, bishop of Seleucia 69,103-5,
119,142
Basiliscus, emperor xxiv, 94,132—
4,137-8,159-60,162,167,192
Edicts lvi, 133-9,141,143-4,147
PEOPLE AND PLACES
365
Basiliscus, son of Armatus 159-60
Bas(s)ianus, bishop of Ephesus
125-6
Beirut xiv, 94,175-6,239
Belisarius212
in Africa xxix, 216-17
in East 212-13
in Italy xxix, 219-20
Benedict (Bonosus), Pope 277
Beramais (Beth Aramaye) 312
Beroe 223,269,298
Bethlehem 190
Bithynia, Bithynians 61-3,76,97,
126,160
Black Sea (Euxine) 94,133,160,
183,221-2,255-6
Blemmyes 21,24,77
Blue Faction 223,236-7
Boane, Lake 97
Boeotia 222
Boniface, general 58
Boniface, presbyter 60,100
Bonosus; see Benedict
Bosporus, Cimmerian (Straits of
Kerch) 255-6
Bosporus, Thracian lvii, 6,63,194
Britons 190
Bulgars 183,274
Burgundians 274
Busta Gallorum, battle of 222
Butilinus (Buselinus) 222
Byblus 239
Bytharia 194
Byzantium; see Constantinople
Cabades; see Kavadh
Cabaon xxviii-xxix, 214-17
Caesarea, in Cappadocia (Kayseri)
143,161,244,274
Caesarea, in Palestine 78,89,205-7
Caesarius, dux 89
Caiaphas 8
Caiciane; see Boane
Calandion, bishop of Antioch 137,
144,147,150,159
Callinicum213,257
Callinicus, chief eunuch 254
Callistus, governor of Antioch 45
Calycadnus river 133
Candidianus 11-13,15
Candidus, bishop of Sergiopolis
229
Canopus 145-6
Canzak310
Cappadocia 81,142-3,195,209,
244,274,281,300
Gates 194
Capua 222
Carduchia 276
Carinus, emperor 191
Carosus121-2
Carpi 286
Carthage 47,98,155,214-18,286
Carus, emperor 190,287
Caspian Gates 194
Caspian Sea 276
Cassius 190
Catalaunian plains 44
Caucasus 183,221,255,264
Cecropius, bishop of Sebastopolis
108,112
Celer, domesticus to Vitalian 202
Celer ,magister officiorum 166,173,
200
Celestine, Pope 10-11,13-15,112
Chalcedon 61,71,75,78,124,132,
133,135-6,138-41,149-52,
366
INDEX
154 5,157 9,162,166 7,171-
2,174-6,179,202,208-11
Church of Euphemia xix, lix, 62-
5,107,123,237
Palace of Rufinianae 16
see also Index 2 s. v. Councils
Chalcis 174,298
Charax xxvi, 286
Charchas311
Cherson 133
Chersonese, Long Walls 44
Chosroes; see Khusro
Chrysaphius xxxviii, 26,47,61,66,
201
Chozibite; see John
Cilicia, Cilicians 80,161-3,209,
223,305
Second Cilicia 208
Circesium266,268,308
Claudian 47
Claudius II (Claudian), emperor
286
Cleopatra 190
Cnidus 97
Codex of Jusinian 33
see also Index 2
Colchis, Colchians 183,190,264
Comentiolus 305,307-9
Comes 270
Commodus, emperor 191
Conon, abbot of Monastery of
Sabas 244,248
Conon, bishop of Apamea 180
Constans, emperor 188
Constantina (Viransehir) 283,295,
300
Constantina, daughter of
Constantine 1188
Constantina (Augusta), daughter
of Tiberius 284-5,290
Constantine 133,59,135,144,184,
186-9,191-2,285
Constantine II188
Constantine; see also Tiberius
Constantine, bishop of Seleucia
170-1
Constantine, Christian soldier 283
Constantine, secretary 118
Constantinople (New Rome,
Byzantium), xiv, xix, xlv, li,
lviii-lix, 6,10,12-13,16,25-7,
38,47,57,60-1,63,76-9,83,
96 7,99,119,121,132-3,139
44,147,155,160,163,177,180,
182,187,191,194 6,201,208
11,217,221,229,243-5,257,
283,290,297,301,317
Acropolis 97
Augusteum 290
Blachernae 159
Bosporon 96
Church of Concord (Homonoia)
97
Church of S. Mocius 63
Church of S. Thomas 97
clergy 118,122-3
Delphax 272
Forum of Constantine 97
Forum Tauri (of Theodosius) 97
Golden Horn 63,96,154
Great Palace 98,161,254,290-1
Harbour of Julian 97
Hebdomon 44,46,141,194
Hippodrome 162,180,196,217,
254
Holy Apostles 162,235
Hospice of Eubulus 203
PEOPLE AND PLACES
367
Hospice of Samson 233
Long Walls xx, 182-3,301
Mese 97
Monastery ofDalmatus 172
Monastery of Sleepless Monks
137,153-6,277
Neorion Harbour 97
orphanage 94
Palace of Hormisdas 209,254,
280
patriarchate, see 126
Prosphorion Harbour 96
S. Sophia xix, lvi, lix, 27,141,
143,154,173,195,201,233-5,
290
Sycae 180,194,242
Temple of Apollo 97
Tribunal of 19 Couches 272
Walls 44,187
Constantius Chlorus 188
Constantius II187-8
Corbulo 190
Corinth 208
Cosmas, bishop of Epiphania
178-9
Cosmas, bodyguard 157-8
Cotyaeum (Kutahya) 47,180
Cours 275,293
Crete 97
Crisaea,gulfof222
Crispinus, notary 103
Crispus, son of Constantine 186,
188-9
Ctesiphon 190,283
Cucusus143
Cyclades 97
Cynegike 174,249
Cyprian xxix, 216-17
Cyprus 32,282
Cyriacus, abbot of Monastery of
the Source 248
Cyril, of Alexandria xxxv, xxxviii,
10-16,19,21-3,27,41,73,85,
106,109,112-17,125,246-7
Christology xxxvi-xxxvii, xxxix,
65,71,100,104,113 14,116
17,122,176,244-5
Twelve Anathemas/Chapters
xxxvii, 15-16,94,117,147,
148-9,246-7
Cyril, general 194
Cyril, leader of Sleepless Monks
154-5
Cyrus, enemy of Monophysites 169
Cyrus, poet and prefect 47
Cyzicus6,159
Dalisandon 162
Dalmatia 99,211
Dalmatius 16,26
Damophilus of Bithynia 291
Daniel, bishop of Carrhae 29
Daniel the Stylite 38,141
Danube (Ister) 57,132,221,255,
258,272
Daphne xvi, 43,48,164,223,240,
277,279,298-9
Antiforum 164
Church of S. Euphemia 240
Temple of Apollo 43
Dara xxxi, 182,268-70,274,283,
310
Darius 182
Decius, emperor 191-2
Delphi 43
Dengizich 97
Devil, Satan xxxv, xxxvii, xxxix,
xlvi, li, lvi, 6-8,80,132,278
368
INDEX
Dexippus 286
Didymus the Blind 243-4,249-50
Diocletian, emperor lii, 62,95,165,
191,263
Diodorus Siculus 48,286
Diodorus of Tarsus 10,169,171
Diogenes, bishop of Cyzicus 103,
121
Diomedes, silentiary 91
Dionysius, comes Aegypti 85,89
Dionysius Halicarnassus 286
Dioscorus, bishop of Alexandria
xxxviii-xxxix, 18,21,27-30,
60-1,65-71,75-6,78-80,85,
93,100-12,115,117-24,138-
9,157,168,242
partisans of 77-8,86,120,136,
168-9,171,177
Dioscorus II, bishop of Alexandria
176,202
Dioscorus, Monophysite 171-2
Dio Cassius 286
Diyala river 313
Domitian, bishop of Ankara 244
Domitian, bishop of Melitene
xlviii, 246,263,309-10,314
Domitian, emperor 191
Domninus, bishop of Antioch 241—
2,250
Domnus, bishop of Antioch 28-9,
34,79
Dorotheus, bishop of
Marcianopolis 10,25
Dorotheus, comes 80
Dorotheus, monk 121-2
Dyrrachium (Epidamnus) 165-6,
207-8
Easterners (Oriens/Orientes) 12,
15-16,20,29,73,104-6,118,
150,166-7
Edessaxix, 18,164,184,208,225-8,
278,295,323-6
acheiropoietos (Mandylion) xix,
xxx, lx, 226-7,295,314,323-6
sieges xix, xxx, liii, 225-8
Skirtos flood 208
Egypt, Egyptians xix, xxxix, 18,
20-1,24,47,73,85-6,98,104,
146-7,157-8,167-8,176,187-
8,190,211,230
bishops xix, 72,76,86-7,104,
120-1,147,156-7
monks 23,35,133,147,157
Elephantine 24
Eleusinus, adiutor 107
Eleusinus, bishop of Sasima 169—
70
Eleusis 33
Eleutheropolis 176-7
Elias, bishop of Jerusalem 171,177,
242
Elias of Corinth 241
Elijah, Egyptian monk 157
Elpidius, bishop of Alexandria 251
Elpidius, comes 28,104
Emesa xviii, 32,180,238
Empusa 284
Ephesus 11-16,19,21-2,27-9,70,
76,101-2,104,106,110,113,
125,133-6,138,140,171,211,
247
see also Index 2, s. v. Councils
Ephorus286
Ephrem of Amida, bishop of
Antioch xxx, xlii, li, lvii, lix,
PEOPLE AND PLACES
369
34,91,204,211,223,241-2,
245,298-9
Epictetus of Pamphylia 92
Epidamnus; see Dyrrachium
Epinicius 162
Epiphania (Hama) xiii-xiv, xvii,
178,316
Epiphanius, bishop of
Constantinople 208-11,216,
241
Epiphanius of Perge 92
Epiphanius, bishop of Tyre 176
Ethiopia 230
Euazes 126
Euchai'ta 143,173,195
Eudocia, wife of Theodosius II36,
47,52-3,79-80
patronage 49,52-3
statue of xvi
visit to Holy Land liii, lv, 47-9
Eudocia, daughter of Valentinian
III 83
Eudoxia 47,82-3,217
Eulogius, abbot of monastery of
Theodosius 244,248
Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria
277,279,317
Eulogius, tribune 28
Eunomius, bishop of Nicomedia
126
Eunomius, heretic lvii, 5,120
Euphemia, daughter of Marcian
98,161
Euphemia, martyr xix, xlvii, 1,62-
3,65,123-4,166,238,284
Euphemius, bishop of
Constantinople 158-9,166-7,
172-3
Euphrasius of Jerusalem, bishop of
Antioch 203-4
Euphratas, eunuch 221,266
Euphrates 213,223,257,275-6,
282-3
Euphratesia 170,181,309
Europe 167,183
Eusebius, bishop of ‘Armenia’
(correctly Ankara) 69,105,
119
Eusebius, bishop of Dorylaeum
26-7,61,66,68-9,75,101-3,
105-6,108-9,118
Eusebius, bishop of Pelusium 85
Eusebius Pamphili, church
historian 4,188-9,192,225,
285-7
see also Index 2
Eustathius, bishop of Antioch 145,
239
Eustathius, bishop of Beirut 62,69,
105,109,119,125
Eustathius of Epiphania, historian
46,98,162,163-5,182,287
see also Index 2
Eustochius, bishop of Jerusalem
liii, 237,242-4,248,250
Eutherius 169
Euthymius 29,53
lavra of 49
Eutyches xxxviii, 26-9,70,72-3,
87,101-4,110,120,122,136,
142,147-9,168,170-1
supporters of 62,66,120,122-3,
139,150,168-9
Eutychius 242,246,249,251,257,
277,279-80
Euxine, see Black Sea
Evagrius of Pontus 243-4,249-50
370
INDEX
Fausta, wife of Constantine 186,
188-9
Faustus, archimandrite 121-2
Faustus, presbyter 60
Fechkhabour 266
Felix, Pope (3rd century) i n.38
Felix, Pope (5th century) 9,150,
153-5,159,173,174,178
Fidelius219
Firmus of Caesarea 13
Flavian, bishop of Antioch 159,
168-77
Flavian, bishop of Constantinople
xxxvi, 26-9,61,66-8,70,73,
102-6,110,118,121,123,126
Florentius, bishop of Sardis 112
Florentius, ex-prefect 27
Florus 77-8
Franks 222,274
Fravit(t)a, bishop of
Constantinople 158-9
Gabriel of Sinjar 312
Gaianus 209,251
Gaius (Caligula), emperor 190-1
Galatia 80,162
Galba, emperor 191
Galerius 25,62,191
Gallienus, emperor 191,286
Gallipoli; see Chersonese
Gallus, Caesar 43
Gallus, Cornelius 190
Gallus, emperor 191
Gangalike; see Heraclea
Gangra ((,'ankiri) 76,93
Ganymede 31
Gaudentius 82-3
Gaugamela 182
Gaul, Gauls 44,62,84,190
Gaza 79,175,237
Geiseric 47,58-9,82-3,98,155,
213,217,225
Gelanius 36
Gelimer 217-18
Genethlius, comes reiprivatae 66
George, bishop of Alexandria 86
Gepids 272
Gergesites218
Germans 131,190
Germanus, general 294-5,300
Geta, brother of Caracalla 191
Ghassanid; see Arabs
Glyceria 65
Glycerius, emperor 99
Goli(a)nduch310
Gordia 290,293
Gordian, emperor 191,263,286
Goths lix, 37,132,160,163,219-22,
274,326
Great Lavra, see Monastery of
Sabas
Greece 48,98,208,219,222,286
Green Faction 174,223,236
Gregory bishop of Antioch xiv-xv,
xvii-xix, xxxvii, xli, xliv, xlvi,
1, liv, lvi, 38,42,161,262-3,
266-7,277,283,294,300-6,
309,311-12,314-17
accusations against, trials xvii,
xix, xxi, 278-9,297-8
unpopularity xvii, xxi, xli, li, 42,
268,279,296-7
Gregory of Nazianzus 106,112
see also Index 2
Gregory of Nyssa 263
Gregory, Palestinian recluse 239
Gregory, Pope 316-17
PEOPLE AND PLACES
371
Gregory, Thaumaturgus (the
WonderWorker) 171
Greps221
Hadrian, emperor 43,84
Heliodorus of Cilicia 51
Heliopolis (Baalbek) 278
Hellespont 97,154
Hephthalites 181
Heracleia 65
Heracle(i)a (Gangalike) in Syria
268-9
Heraclius, cubicularius 82
Heraclius, father of emperor
307
Herculius; see Maximus
Hermogenes213
Herodian 286
Herodotus 5,85,132
Heruls 220,222
Hierapolis (Baalbek) 34
Hierapolis (Mabbug) 298,308-10
Hilary, bishop 105
Hilary ofPoitiers 106,112
Himerius, notary 107
Himyarites265
Hippo 58
Holy Land; see Palestine
Honoria, Augusta 44
Honorius, emperor 33,188,287
Hormisdas, Pope 177
Hormizd IV (Hormisdas) 276,
307-8
Hosius (Ossius) of Cordoba 187
Huneric 83,155,213,216
Huns (Scythians) lix, 44,46,59,62,
82,97,132,181,183,194,221,
275
Hypatia 42
Hypatius, nephew of Anastasius
194,200,213
Ibas of Edessa xliv, 29,75,80,125,
169,245,247
Iberia (Caucasus) 190,307
Iberia (Spain) 187
Ibis; see Oasis
Ignatius of Antioch xvi, 42
Illus 132,142,146,150,160,161-3,
165
Illyria, Illyrians 106,273
bishops 105-6,116-18 116,118,
123
Illyricum61
Indes 180
Ionia 286
Iotabe 181
Irenaeus of Tyre 13,20,26,29,169
Irenaeus, comes Orientis 202
Isaiah of Gaza xlv
Isaiah, monk 145
Isauria, Isaurians 98,132-3,142,
162-3,166-7,170-1,175,177,
179-81,183,209,273-4,302
Ischyrion, deacon at Alexandria
109
Isho-Yahb of Arzun 267
Isidore of Pelusium 41
Italy xx, 44,161,163,218-22,258,
274
Jacob, bishop of Nisibis 51
Jacob of Cyrrhus 91
Jacob, holy man 91
Jacob, Persian envoy 271
James (Jacob) Baradaeus 212
Jebusites217
Jericho 206
Monastery of Choziba 206
372
INDEX
Jerusalem, xviii, 36,48-9,75,78,
83,124-5,141,159,168,170,
178,179,206,217,241,242,
250
Church of Resurrection 78-9
Church of Stephen 49,52-3
Monastery of Byzantines 262
Monastery of Pharan 262
Jews, Judaism 8,36,86,174,176,
238, 241-2
John, bishop 62
John I, bishop of Alexandria 159,
202
John (of N ikiu) II, bishop of
Alexandria 159,202
John II, Chalcedonian bishop of
Alexandria 262
John, bishop of Antioch xxxviii,
12 13,15 16,20,28,106,113
14
John Chrysostom 106,140
John Codonatus, bishop of
Antioch 144
John, bishop of Constantinople
202
John, bishop of Jerusalem 242,277
John, bishop of Paltos 172
John IV, bishop of Jerusalem 317
John the Cappadocian 216,233
John Catellinus, Pope 250,277
John Chrysostom 41
John the Chozibite xviii, 206-7
John, comes 16
John, enemy of Monophysites 169
John of Epiphania 287
John Kurtos/Gibbus (the
Hunchback) 180
John Mystaconliv, 291-2
John Nesteutes (the Faster),
bishop of Constantinople 291,
309,316-17
John, Nestorian 169
John the rhetor 42,96,144,164,
203-4
see Index 2, ,v. v. Malalas
John of Rome, monk 241
John scholasticus, bishop of
Constantinople 249-50,262,
272,277,284
John, son of Timostratus 270
John the Scythian 163,180
John the Stylite 315
John Talaia, bishop of Alexandria
xxiv, 145-7,149-50,154-6
John, usurper 46
Joppa 140,250
Jordan 189
Josephus 286
Joshua, son of N un 218
Jovian, emperor 30,263
Judaea 190
Julian the apostate, emperor xxxv,
li, 6,43,86,191,238,267
Julian of Athens 48
Julian, bishop of Bostra 177
Julian, bishop of Halicarnassus
250-1
Julian, bishop of Lebedus 103
Julianus (Didius), emperor 191
Julius, bishop of Puteoli 28
Julius Caesar 94,165,191
Julius the Lycian 59
Julius, Pope 171
Justin I xli, xliv, lii, 157,194,200-4,
207-8,212,214
Justin II li-lii, liv, lviii, 58,224,254,
272,274
PEOPLE AND PLACES
373
criticisms of xlvii-xlix, lvi, 130,
132,202,233,236,255-6,261,
265-7,281,284-5,291-2
madness 270
military issues xlix, 264-7,269-
70
religious policies xxxvii, xlvi, lvi,
255,257-61
Justin, son of Germanus 255-6,
274
Justin, son of Maurice 317
Justinian, emperor xiv, 1-lii, 190,
200,202,204-5,208-13,217-
23,228,256,272,287
buildings of xxix, 218,221,232-5
criticism of liv, lviii, 232-3,236-
7,244,250-2,254,311-12
religious edicts, policies xxxiii,
xxxvii, xl, xlii, xlvi, lvi, 208-
11,221-2,243-52
Aphthartodocetism xl, lvii,
249-52
Declaration of Faith xl, 243,
246,248,258-60
Theopaschite Edict xl, 73,
209-10
Three Chapters Edict xl, 69,
243,246,255
Justinian, general 264,274,276,
281,293
Justinian, son of Maurice 317
Juvenal of Jerusalem 12,15,28,66,
69,78-80,100,102,104-5,
109,116,119,123,125,138,140
Kaoses212
Kardarigan 293
Kavadh (Cabades) 46,181,212,
225,312
Kindites; see Arabs
Khabour (Aboras) 266
Khusro I (Chosroes) xiii, xvi-xvii,
xix, xxx-xxxi, 1, liii, 212,222-
9,264-71,274-7,311-12,323,
325-6
Khusro II (Chosroes) 263,308,314
dedications to Sergius xix-xx,
lvi, 302,311-14
flight to Romans xxxiii, xli, 287,
308-10
interest in Christianity 229,311—
12
Khuzistan312
Lakhmids, see Arabs
Laodicea (Isauria) 172
Larissa 179
Lazica255,307
Lebanon 32
Leo I, emperor xvi, 36-8,83-6,91-
2,94,98-100,131-3,161
Encyclical lvi, 89-92,134
Leo II, emperor 100,317
Leo, Pope xxxvi-xxxvii, 27-9,34,
60-1,66,70-1,73,75,80-1,83,
91-2,100,106,110-11,115,
134,201
Tome of xxxvi, xxxix, 29,60,68,
70,72-4,78,93-4,110,116-
20,123,125,133,135-6,138,
140,147,157-8,167,174,176
Leontia, daughter of Leo 1161
Leontius, martyr 174
Leontius, patrician 146,150,163,
165
Libanius 48
Libya, Libyans 82,147,167-8,213,
216-18,222
374
INDEX
Licinius, emperor 189
Limnae 143
Litarba (Terib) 302,305
Lombards 258,272,274
Longinus, brother of Emperor
Zeno lix, 163-6,180
Longinus of Cardala 166,180
Longinus of Selinus 180
Lucensius, bishop of Herculanum
(or Asculanum) 61,66,100
Lycaonia 209
Lycia 59
Lysippus 161
Mabbug; see Hierapolis
Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem
242,250
Macedonia, Macedonians 189-90
Macedonius, bishop of
Constantinople (c.4th) lvii, 5
Macedonius, bishop of
Constantinople (c.5/6th)
167-8,170-3,195,201
Macrinus, emperor 191
Magnentius, usurper 187-8
Magnus, comes sacrarum
largitionum 268-9,280,283,
291
Mahbodh (Mebodes) 306
Maiotic lake/marsh; see Azov, Sea
of
Maiuma 79,175-6
Majorian, emperor 83-4
Malalas; see John the rhetor
Ma(n)llius Torquatus 303
Mamas, archimandrite 177
Mamianus 164
Mani, Manichees 120,172-3,201,
248
Marcellus 290
Marcian, emperor lviii, 18,24-5,
44,53,60-2,66,71,75,77,80,
83-4,86-7,98,111-12,118,
119,124,133,161,167,186
omens connected with 57-59
panegyric of lvi-lvii, 59-60,84,
233
Marcian, relative of Justin II265-8
Marcian, son of Anthemius 161-3
Marcus Aurelius 287
Marcus, son of Basiliscus 133-4,
138,141
Mardin 182,268-9
Maria the Roman 313
Marinus, bishop of Beirut 170,176
Marinus the Syrian 193-4,196,201
Marmara, Sea of 183
Maro, Monastery of 177
Marsus 163
Martial 191
Martyrius, bishop of Antioch 36-
8,137
Martyrius, bishop of Jerusalem
145,147,150,242
Martyropolis 300,305-8,310
Maruzas 300
Marwa (or Merope) 37
Massagetae lix, 132,273-4
Mauretania 58
Maurice Tiberius, emperor xiii, xv,
xix,lii, 192,225,281-5,287,
292-4,300-1,303,306,317
accession liv, lviii, 272,285,290
criticisms of238,295
panegyric ofxlvii-1, lvi, 130,161,
256,263,281,290-2,300,308-
10
portents for xv, 58,206,283-4
PEOPLE AND PLACES
375
Maxentius, emperor 191
Maximianus, bishop of
Constantinople 25-6
Maximianus Herculius, see
Galerius
Maximinus, emperor 191,286
Maximinus, general 77-8
Maximus, bishop of Antioch 66,
75,100,111,123,125
Maximus, Petronius, emperor 82-
3,217
Mazici 22-3
Mebodes; see Mahbodh
Melania the Younger 49,53,79
Meletius, bishop of Antioch 43
Melitene (Malatya) 275-6
Memnon, bishop of Ephesus
xxxviii, 12-13,15-16,22,126
Memnon, governor of Antioch xv,
45
Menas, bishop of Constantinople
211,241-2,244-6
Merdanshah312
Mesopotamia 132,181,182,265,
274,283,310
monks 35
Miraculous Mountain 315
Misenus, bishop of Cumae 154-6
Moesia 193,273
Monastery of Sabas (Great Lavra)
244,248
Monastery of Theodosius
(Palestine) 243-4
Mongus; see Peter Mongus
Monocarton 283,294
Mons Lactarius, battle of 222
Moors xxix, 214-15,218
Mysians; see Moesia
Nabarnugius; see Peter the Iberian
Naissus 44
Naples 219
Narcissus 191
Narses, eunuch xxx, 222
Narses, king of Persia 263
Nephalius 157-8,175-7
Nepos, emperor 99
Nero 190-1
Nestorius li, lviii, 7-16,33,73,92,
113,122,125,134-5,142,147-
9,169-71,173,175,245,247
doctrinal views xxxiv-xxxvi,
xxxviii, 5,7,10-11,19,26,30,
73,106-7,116,120,169
exile xxxix, lvi, 18-25,62
tomb of 25,57
writings xxii, xxxix, 11,13-14,
18,20,22-5
see also Index 2, ,y. v. Bazaar
New Lavra 242-4,250
Nicaea 5,61-2,71,119,126,134,
147,152,159,180,211
see also Index 2,s.v. Councils
Nicanor; see Seleucus
Nicias, bishop of Laodicaea 169-
70
Nicolaus, praefectus Augustalis 89
Nicomedia 12,97,126,189
Nicostratus of Trapezus 286
Nile 20-3
Nisibis 18,182,190,212,265-8,
270,282,293,307,311
Nobades21,23,77
Nomus, patrician 66
Nubia 157
Numan (Namaan), Ghassanid
291,312
Numan, Lakhmid (503) 225
376
INDEX
Numan, Lakhmid (590s) 314
Numidia 58
Nymphius river 307
Oasis 20-3,150
Octavian; see also Augustus 287
Odaenathus, of Palmyra 190,286
Odessus 194
Odoacer 99,162,163,218
Okbas; see Akbas
Olybrius, emperor 83,99
Optila 82
Orestes 99
Origen 4,171,242-4,248-50
Orontesxiii, 174,178
Osrhoene 29,208,278
Ostrogoths 211
Otho, emperor 191
Paeonia; see Pannonia
Palestine xviii, xli, 78-80,82,125,
140,175-7,181,205,217,229,
239,243,245,250,291
First Palestine 75,205
Second Palestine 75
Third Palestine 181
bishops of 79,116-17
monks of 35,78-9,167-8,175-6
Palladius, agens in rebus 15
Palladius, bishop of Antioch 159
Palladius, heretic 103
Palladius, praetorian prefect 6
Palladius, son of Maximus 83
Pamphilus 4
see also Eusebius Pamphili
Pamprepius, bishop of Titopolis 78
Pamprepius, pagan 150,163
Pancratius, stylite 248
Pannonia 273-4
Panopolis 22-4,47
Paphlagonia/ Paphlagonians 76,
93
Papirius 162-3
Parthians 263
Pascasinus, bishop of Lilybaeum
61,66,69,100,110
Patricius, Caesar 94,98-9
Patricius, nephew of Anastasius
200
Paul, bishop of Emesa 16-17
Paul, bishop of Ephesus 137-8,
140,143
Paul, bishop of Nisibis 250,267
Paul, Egyptian monk 133
Paul, father of Maurice 290
Paul the Jew, bishop of Antioch
203
Paul of Samosata 9,26,169
Paul, secretary to Vitalian 202
Paul, slave of Zeno 162
Paul the Tabennesiot, bishop of
Alexandria 211,242
Paulinus 49, 53
Pelagius I, Pope 245,250
Pelagius II, Pope 277,316
Pelagius, priest 60
Pelusium78,230
Pentapolis 147
Pergamius ,praefectus Augustalis
146,151
Peroz 46
Perrha 76
Persarmenia; see Armenia
Persia, Persians 46, 163, 181-2,
188, 190-1, 212-13, 221, 222,
227, 229, 237, 263-6, 275-6,
286, 293, 300, 302, 305-8,
310, 324-6
PEOPLE AND PLACES
377
Pertinax 191
Peter, bishop ofApamea 178,211
Peter, bishop of Beroea 169
Peter, bishop of Damascus 177
Peter, bishop of Jerusalem 242-3,
245
Peter, brother of Maurice 290
Peter the Fuller, bishop of Antioch
137,140,143-4,150,154,159,
168
Peter the Iberian (Nabarnugius)
xlv, 79-80,85,145,157,175-6
Peter Mongus, bishop of
Alexandria 145-6,150-9,168,
176
Peter, son of Maurice 317
Petra 20,26,175
Petronius Maximus; see Maximus
Philae21
Philip, bishop of Side lv, 25
Philip, emperor 191,263-4,286
Philippi 145
Philippicus xv, xxi, liv-lv, 38,49,
290,293-4,296,304-6
Philippopolis (Plovdiv) 44,57
Philostratus 232
Philoxenus (Xenaias) of Mabbug
(Hierapolis) xli, 150,168-75
Phlegon of Tralles 48
Phoenice Libanensis 295
Phoenicia 125,175,178,181,205,
239,291
Photinus 169
Photius, bishop of Tyre 20,125
Phrygia 80,180
Pisander of Laranda 48
Pisidia, Pisidians 175
Placidia, daughter of Valentinian
III 82,99
Plato 51
Plutarch of Chaeronea 291
Polybius of Megalopolis 286
Pompeius 213
Pontus; see also Black Sea 183
bishops of 123
Priscus, general xlviii, 294-6,301
Priscus ofPanium, historian 44,57,
76-8,97-8,287
see also Index 2
Probus, commander 308
Probus, nephew of Anastasius 200
Proclus of Cyzicus, bishop of
Constantinople 10,25-6
Proclus, proconsul of Asia 28
Proclus, quaestor 212
Procopius, brother of usurper
Marcian 161
Procopius, historian 59,212-14,
218-20,287
see also Index 2
Propontis 183
Proterius, bishop of Alexandria
xix, xxiv, xlvi, 76-7,85-9,91,
94,145-6,152
Proterius, bishop of Smyrna 110
Ptolemies 190
Pulcheria 9,11,16,18,47,49,60-2,
80,118-19
Pyrrhus of Epirus 286
Qalat Seman xlii-xliii, 37
Ravenna 46,163
Reparatus 214
Resafa (Sergiopolis) xix, xxx, xliii,
liii, 65,181,228-9,312,324-6
Rhesonchosron 313
Rhodes 195
378
INDEX
Rhodope 57
Ricimer 83-4,99
Romanus, dux 181
Rome xiv, 26,42,47,63,76,82-3,
99,123,133,141,149,153-4,
160,163,187 8,189 91,217
22,250,281
Campus Martius 82
see also Index 2,s. v. Councils
Romulus Augustulus lii, 99
Romulus, brother of usurper
Marcian 161
Romulus, founder of Rome lii, 99,
165
Rufinus, ambassador 212-13
Rufinus of Antioch 278
Rufinus, bishop of Samosata 108
Rufinus, pagan
Rufus, abbot of monastery of
Theodosius 244
Sabas xviii, 176,244
Sabinianus, bishop of Perrhe 126
Sabir Huns 194
Salona 46,99
Salophaciolus; see Timothy
Salustius, bishop of Jerusalem 242
Saracens; see Arabs
Sardis 26
Sarmatia 126
Satan; see Devil
Sava river 272
Saxons 274
Sbide 133
Scenites; see Arabs
Scythia, Scythians lix, 255,283
Sebaste (Sivas) 144,274
Sebukht 264-5
Secundinus 100
Secundinus, brother-in-law of
Anastasius 195
Seleucia, by Antioch 223,315
Seleucia, in Isauria 142
Shrine of Thecla xix, 142
Seleucia, by the Tigris 190
Seleucus Nicator 268-9
Serdica 44
Seremis 248
Sergiopolis, see Resafa
Sergius of Amida xliv
Sergius, disciple of Daniel 38
Sergius of Resafa 228,311-12
Seridus, abbot 237
Severianus, bishop of Arethusa
178-9
Severianus, bishop of Scythopolis
79
Severus, bishop of Antioch xvii,
xxv, xli-xlii, xlvi, lii, 168-9,
173,175-8,195-6,201-3,209-
11,244,251,314
Formula 170-1,176
Severans, partisans 179,314
Severus, Libius, emperor 83-4
Severus, Septimius, emperor xv,
183,190-1,230
Shapur1263
Shenute of Atripe 21,23
Shirin (Siren) 312-14
Sicily 211,250,291
Silvanus, presbyter 156
Silverius, Pope 220
Simplicius, Pope 141,150,153-4,
157
Sinai 262
Sinde 205
Sindual (Sindoald) 222
Singidunum 44,301
PEOPLE AND PLACES
379
Sirmium 46,188,258,271-2
Siren; see Shirin
Sisarbanon 307
Sittas305,310
Slavs 301
Sleepless Monks (Acoemeti) 195,
210
see also Constantinople,
Monastery of
Socrates 4,11,285
see also Index 2
Solachon 293
Solomon, elder 159
Solon, bishop of Seleucia 171
Sophia, empress 60,256,271-3
Sophronius, abbot 244
Sophronius, bishop of Constantina
29
Sophronius, cleric at Alexandria
109
Soterichus, bishop of Caesarea
172,195
Sozomen4,285
see also Index 2
Sozopolis 175
Split 95
Sporacius, comes domesticorum 66
Stara Planina 57
Stephen, assassin of Domitian 191
Stephen, bishop of Antioch xix,
144,150
Stephen, bishop of Ephesus 103,
126
Stephen, bishop of Hierapolis 310
Stilas, comes Aegypti 89
Stilicho 47
Strabo 48
Sucessus ofDiocaesarea 10
Sura 223,229
Suren 264
Symeon, bishop of Chalcis 170
Symeon, Holy Fool xviii, liv, 51,
206,238M0
Symeon, Sleepless Monk 156
Symeon Stylites the elder xviii, 1,
lvi, 34-8,50,53,91
doctrinal views xlii
letter of xxiii, 92-3
relics of xv-xvi, xviii
shrine of, see also Qalat Seman
xviii, xlii-xliii, lx, 36-41
see also Index 2, ,y. v. Life of
Symeon
Symeon Stylites the younger xiv,
xviii, xx, xlv-xlvi, lvi, 205,
280,315-16
see also Index 2 ,s.v. Life of
Symeon
Synesius of Cyrene, bishop of
Ptolemais 41-2,57
Syria xvii, xix, xlv, 179,209,211,
266,269-70,280,291
First Syria 91,174,181,252
Second Syria (Coele) xiii, 91,
174,177-8,240,252,314
monks 35,51,72,80,91,121,174
Tamkhusro (Tamchosroes) 276,
281-3
Tanais 222
Tarsus 161-3,305
Tatian, city prefect 59,66
Teleda xlii, 36,50
Telneshin 36,39
Thalassius of Caesarea 27,69,102,
104-5,119,123
Thebes, Thebaid 20-2,76-8,166
Thebothon 265
380
INDEX
Thecla xix, 142
Theia (Teias) 222
Theocritus, domesticus 200-1
Theoctiste 290
Theoctistus, agens in rebus 61
Theoctistus, magister officiorum
133
Theodahad (Theodatus) 211,219
Theoderic the Amal 132,160,163—
4,219-21
Theoderic, general 283
Theoderic the Scythian (Strabo)
132,160-1
Theodora, empress xlvi, 209-10,
220,228,245,271,311-12
Theodore Ascidas, bishop of
Caesarea 244-5,249
Theodore, bishop of Antinoe 157
Theodore, bishop of Claudiopolis
103
Theodore, deacon at Alexandria
109
Theodore, Monophysite bishop
212
Theodore of Mopsuestia xliii, 10,
18.169.245- 7,249
Theodore, rebel against
Anastasius 180
Theodore, son of Bacchus 274
Theodore Tzirus 267
Theodoret of Cyrrhus 4,20,26,28-
9,35,38,61,68,75,79,81,104,
117.125.169.189.245- 7,285
see also Index 2
Theodosiopolis(Erzerum) 181,
264,274
Theodosius 16,42,48-9,60,77,264
Theodosius II li, liii, 4,12,15-16,
18-21,33,41,44-9,53,57,59,
60-1,69,104,135,148,183,
285
ecclesiastical policies xxxviii, 11,
16,26-7,33,36,137
reputation xlvii, 33-4,190
victories 46
Theodosius, bishop of Alexandria
208-10,242
Theodosius, bishop of Antinoe 145
Theodosius, bishop of Jerusalem
78-80,140
Theodosius, Palestinian monk 176,
206,244
Theodosius, son of Maurice xv,
291,317
Theodotus,bishopofAnkara 11,14
Theodotus, bishop of Joppa79,140
Theodotus, prefect 257
Theodulus 10
The ogno stus, praefectus
Augustcdis 146
Theophilus, imperial agent 278
Theopolis,Theopolitans; see
Antioch
Theopompus, Egyptian monk 133
Theopompus, historian 286
Thermopylae 44
Thessalonica 26,65
Thomas, bishop of Anasartha 170
Thomas, bishop of Apamea xiii,
xvii, xxx, 224,326
Thomas, monk xvi, 240
Thrace, Thracian 46,57,97,132,
145,160,163,182,193 4,200
1,211,255,270,286,291,307
bishops of 123
Thrasamund215
Thraustila 82
Thucydides 183,229
PEOPLE AND PLACES
381
Tiberius, emperor 190
Tiberius Constantinus, emperor
xiii, xvii, xix, xlvii, Hi, lviii, 58,
84,192,254,270-3,277,279-
81,284-5,291,317
virtues xlviii-1, lvi, 59-60,233,
273
Tiberius, son of Maurice 317
Tiberius; see also Maurice Tiberius
Tigranes264
Tigris 266,282-3,293
Tilmognon 174
Timostratus212
Timothy Aelurus, bishop of
Alexandria xlvi, 88-94,133-4,
136-40,144,153,157,175,251
Ecclesiastical History 25
ordination xxv, 85-7
Timothy IV, bishop of Alexandria
202,209
Timothy, bishop of
Constantinople 167,176
Timothy, bishop in Palestine 79
Timothy Salophaciolus, bishop of
Alexandria 94,145-6,150,152
Titus, emperor 83,191,217
Torquatus; see Mallius
Totila 220-1
Totus, emissary of Pope Felix 154
Trajan, emperor 42,95,190,287
Trajan, quaestor 271
Trapezus (Trebizond) 211
Tribunus, doctor 271
Tripolis (Africa) 214-15
Tripolis (Phoenicia) 175,239
Trocundes 133,142,162
Troy lii, 165,187,287
Turks 255-6,264-5,307,310
Tyre 205
Ulpian of Emesa 48
Vahram V (Barames) 46
Vahram (Barames) Tchobin 308-
11
Valens, emperor 49,60,126,192
Valentinian I, emperor 126
Valentinian III, emperor 46-7,60,
66,80,82,217
Valerian, emperor 191-2,286
Vandals xxviii-xxix, 82-3,97,213-
19
conquest of Africa 46-7,155
expeditions against liii, 58-9,
216-17,326
treatment of Christians 213-16,
218-19
Vardan(es), son of Vasak 264
Ventidius 190
Verina, empress 100, 132, 159,
162-3
Vespasian 217
Vetranio 187-8
Vigilantia 256
Vigilius, Pope xl, xliv, 220,242-3,
245-6,248,250
Vincomalus ,magister officiorum
66
Vindoe 308
Visigoths 46
Vistam 308
Vitalian 193-4,200-3
Vitalis, bishop of Truentinum 154,
156
Vitellius, emperor 191
Vitigis (Witigis) 219-20
Volusianus, emperor 191
Xenaias; see Philoxenus
382
INDEX
Yarmuk xliii
YazdgardI46
Yazdgard II46
Zachariah, doctor 271
Zachariah of Mitylene 62,92,
137,139,144-5,153
see also Index 2
Zagros Mountains 310
Zames, son of Kavadh 212
Zatsparham (Zadespram) 311
Zeno, emperor xix, xxvi, 9,39,98,
130,132-3,137,142,145-7,
149-50,154-65,180,192,214
criticisms of xl, xlvii-xlviii. 130—
2,225,232,236,255,265,281,
291-2
Henoticon xl, lvi, 144-6, 150-1,
153-4, 156-9, 167, 174-5,
210
Henoticon quoted at 147-9
Zeno, magister militum 60,98
Zoilus, bishop of Alexandria 210-
11,242,245
Zoilus, governor of Antioch xv,
45
Zooras, monk 211
Zoroastrians 46
Zosimas, monk xviii, liv, 205-7,
239
Zosimus 186-7,287
see also Index 2
Ztumas; see Chrysaphius
INDEX OF TOPICS
Acacian Schism liv
Agathias xxii, lix, 222,287
cited 5,222,276
Ammianus, cited 43,49,84
Anon. Guidi, cited 308
Antoninus Placentinus, cited 262,
269
Arians, Arian heresy xxxv, lx, 6-8,
30,155,173,216
Athanasius, Life of Severus, cited
7,9
Barhadbeshabba, cited 7,10,19-
21,23-5
Barsanuphius, Questions and
Answers, cited 237,316
Bazaar of Heracleides, cited 9,13,
19-20,22,26-7,29,34,59,
61
Bishops
murders of xix, 79,85-6,88,101,
121
rivalries of xxxv, 11-13,15,67,
75-7,125-6,141
Candidus, cited 99,162
Cedrenus, cited 83,96,131-2,164
Christology
Alexandrian xxxv-xxxvi, 114,
136
Anomoean 6
Antiochene xxxv-xxxvi, 10,16,
94,169,245
Aphthartodocete xl, xliii, 249-
50
Apollinarian xxxv, xxxviii, 19,
26.87.171
attempts at unity xxxv, 8,29-31,
80.171
Chalcedonian, see under
Councils, Church
(Ecumenical)
Eutychian xxxvi, xxxix, 7,26-8,
103-4,123,135-6,139
homoiousian 6-7
homoousian 4,6-8
imperial initiatives, see Justin II,
Justinian, Zeno
Julianist 209,249-51
neo-Chalcedonianxxxvii, xl, 80,
250-1
see also under Councils,
Chalcedon
Photinian 19
Pneumatomachi (Macedonians)
73
reconciliation xxxvii, xxxix-xl,
xliv-xlv, 16,19,31,73,80-1,
114,141-2.146-9,209-10,
243-5,250-1,257-61,283
Severan xlvii, 175,209
Theopaschite 73,137,243
Tritheist 80
see also Monophysites,
Nestorians
Chronicle of Edessa, cited 166,238,
325
Chronicle of Seert, cited 267,314
Chronicle of Zuqnin , cited 208
384
INDEX
Chronicon ad an. 1234, cited 266-7,
291
Chronicon Paschale xxxiv
cited 44,48-9,96,160,165,
180,182,208,
Codex Iustinianus, cited 26,33,
143,183-4,214
Codex Theodosianus, cited 18,20,
33,36,135,137
Constantine Porphyrogenitus, de
Cerimoniis, cited 165,167,
172,200-1,208
Corippus, cited 254
Councils, Church (Ecumenical)
Chalcedon xxiii, xxxv, xxxvii-
xxxix, xlvi, 9,18,29-30,59-
61,64-76,78,81,86-7,89,
91-3,133,135-6,138-41,
146,149-52,154-5,157,
166-72,175-6,178,194,
219,242,245-8,257,261,
285
acta of xxiv, xxxviii-xxxix, liv,
lvi,lix, 21-2,62,65-76,93,
100-26,136,166,238
acta cited 26-9,60-1,80-1
canon 28 76,125-6,140
Chalcedonians xviii, xli-xlvi,
8,30-1,94,144,147,167,
194-5,200-1,208-11,243-
5,251,257,291
formula (definition) ofxxxvi-
xxxviii, 74,80,91,10123-4
neo-Chalcedonians 75,175,
210,243,250-1,261
Constantinople (381) xxxviii, 6-
7,71-3,76,113,119,134,
136,147-9
Constantinople (553) xxxvii, xl,
xliii, liii, lvi, 75,242-9
Ephesus, First (431) xv, xxiii,
xxxv, xxxviii, lvi, 9,11-16,
19,21-2,33,73,106 7,112-
13,116,125 135-6,148,171,
175,211,247
acta, cited 8,10-20,26,33
Ephesus, Second (449) xxiii,
xxxv, xxxviii, 22,27,30,33,
60-2,65,67-70,78,86,104,
106-7,110,121,125,133,
135-6
Nicaea (325) xxxv, xxxviii, lvii, 6,
26,28,61,65,71,73,76,80,
100,112-13,119-20,133-6,
144,147-9,155,187,211
Councils, Church (other)
Aquileia 103
Beirut 75,125
Constantinople (360) 8
Constantinople (448-9) 26-7,67
Constantinople (518) 202
Constantinople (536) 211,244
Jerusalem (518) 202
Laodicea (Isauria, 512) 172
Laodicea (Syria) 144
Rome (484) xxiv, 153,156-7
Sidon(511)xli, 170-2,175
Tyre (440s) 29,75,125
Tyre (514) 177
Tyre (518) 201-2
Cyril of Scythopolis xviii, xli, 171,
243,248
Dio, Cassius xv
cited 84,230
Dio Chrysostom, cited 84
Diodorus Siculus, cited 5
TOPICS
385
Earthquakes xv- xvi. lii, 37,44-5,
94-7,194,203-6,222,277,
279
Egeria, Travels, cited 63
Epistulae Avellanae, cited 201,203
Eunapius 186
Lives of the Sophists, cited 77
Eusebius xx, lx
citations from:
Ecclesiastical History 4,6,25,
82,188-9
Life of Constantine 4, 135
Oration to the Saints 192
Praeparatio Ev angelica 4,31
Praise of Constantine 189
Eustratius, hagiographer 310
see Life of Eutychius
Eutropius, cited 183
Evagrius scholasticus,
causation 1 li
chapter headings 1,16,325
character xxxii-xxxiii, xlvii-
xlviii,lvi, 131,224,244,
250-1,255,262-3,270,278,
281,291,294,309
chronological synchronisms
xxvi, lii, 99,164-5,175
chronology xxi, xxx, xxxii-
xxxiii, li-lv, 94-5,159,204,
300
composition xx-xxii, xxxi-xxxiv
digressions liv, 33,45-6,62-5
distortions xxx-xxxi, liv-lvi, 62
see also Evagrius, errors
divine interventions xxxi, 1
doctrinal views xviii, xxxvii-xl,
xlii-xliv, xlvi, lx, 8,29-31,
80-1,203,261
ecclesiastical historiography,
tradition of xx, xliii, xlvii,
lix-lx, 4-5,285
education xiii-xiv
errors, confusions xxi, xxiv-xxv,
xxix, xxxii, xxxiv, xxxix, lii,
liv, 41,46-7,91,103,121-2,
126,165,188,196,204,208,
216,219,222,242-5,266,
271-2,277,282-3,285,300,
305-6,324
family xiii-xv, xvii, 178-9,298,
315-16
interests xxvi, xxxi, xxxiv, 302
knowledge xxvi
likes, dislikes xxxiii-xxxiv, xl, 59,
166,262-3,293-4
miracle stories xiv, xviii, xxv-
xxvi, xxx, xxxiii, xlvii, xlix-
1, liv, lvi, lx, 57-9,64-5,205-
7,213-18,224-9,238-42,
279,283-4,315-16,323-6
moralizing li, lvi, 82,84,161,209,
255,265,267,290-1,295-6
vices and virtues xl, xlviii-1,
58-60,130-2,265,276
personal judgements xxxix, 59,
293
polemic xxi, 31-3,187-90
predictions, portents xv, xxix,
lvi, 265-6
Providence, providential
narrative xxxi, xxxv, xlvii, 1,
lvii, lx, 57,80-1,270-1,280
reticence, omissions, evasions
xxi, xl-xli, xliii, xlvi, xlix,
27-9,33-4,49,68-70,75,
92,137,157,188-9,208,
210,215-16,225,228,278,
283,293
386
INDEX
sources:
documents xxii-xxiii, xxxii-
xxxiii, lvi, 66-75,92,133,
151,153,168-9
Eustathius xxvi-xxvii, xxxii,
xxxiv, lii-liii, lv, 44,99,132,
159-60,161-2,164,181-2,
287-8
hagiographies xxv-xxvi, 35,
37-8,239,310
Malalas xv-xvi, xxvii-xxviii,
xxxii, xxxiv, lii-liii, 42,94,
182,194-6,200,203-4,
208
personal knowledge xv, xvii-
xx, xxx, 12,18,38,40,63,
167,174,178-9,211,224,
229,242,265-6,280,315-
16,324-6
Priscus of Panium xxvi,
xxviii-xxxiv, lv, 44,97
Procopius xxvi-xxxiv, xlix,
lii-liii, lv, lx, 212-31,323-6
Zachariah xix-xx, xxiii-xxv,
xxxii, xlvi, 5,92,138-9,145,
157,159,168,241,325
Zosimus xxvi-xxviii, lvi, lviii
sources, use of xxiii-xxiv, xxviii-
xxxiv, 1, lvi
style xlix, liv-lix, lxii, 5,33,46,
233,290
Gelasius of Caesarea 4
Gennadius, de viris illustribus,
cited 10
Georgius Monachus, cited 60,242
Gregory of Antioch, On the
baptism of Christ, cited
xxxvii, 7
Gregory of Nazianzus, Orations,
cited 30-1
Gregory of Nyssa, cited 263
Gregory of Tours, cited 242
Homer 41
cited 33,281
Hydatius, cited 83
Islam lx
Jerome, Letters, cited 6
Jews, Judaizers 7-8
Judaism, accusation against
religious opponents 8-9,
78
John of Antioch, cited 82-3,99,
160-2,166,192,194
John of Beth Aphthonia 175
John Chrysostom, cited 43
John Diakrinomenos, cited 35
John, bishop of Ephesus xlii, xlv
citations from:
Ecclesiastical History xliii, 229,
257,261,264-5,269-70,
272-6,278-83,291-2,297,
317
Lives of Saints xliv, 209,211
John of Epiphania xiv, xx, xxxiii,
lx, 275,287,293-4
cited 5,266,268-9
John of Gaza, cited 299
John Lydus, cited 192-3,233,237
John Moschus; see Pratum
Spirituale
John ofNikiu, cited 60,141,229,
257,317
John Rufus; see Plerophories
Joshua the Stylite, cited 130,181-2,
184,225
TOPICS
387
Julian, cited 187-8
Justinian, Novels, cited 136,273
Lactantius, On the Deaths of the
Persecutors cited 25
Leontius of Byzantium 243,251
Leontius of Neapolis 237,239
Letter of the Three Patriarchs,
cited 326
Letter to Cosmos, cited 21,25,57
Libanius, cited 42,48
Liberatus, cited 34,152,154,245
Life of Abramius, cited 181
Life of Barsauma, cited 36
Life of Cyriacus, cited 30
Life of Daniel, cited 5,34-6,38,96,
100,132-3,142
Life of Euthymius, cited 5,28-9,
49,53,78-9,207
Life of Eutychius, cited 58,246,
249,251,255,257,284
Life of Golinduch, cited 9
Life of John the Almsgiver, cited
206,240,297
Life of Martha, cited 240
Life of Peter the Iberian xxv
cited 85-6
Life of Sabas, cited 50,178,179,
207,242-4,248
Life of Severus of Antioch xxv, 175
cited 175
Life of Shenute of Atripe, cited 21
Life of Symeon the Fool 238,240
cited 206
Life of Symeon Stylites the Elder
xxv
cited 34-8
Life of Symeon Stylites the Younger
xiv,xlv, 37,284,315
cited 34,239,280,315-16
Life of Theodore of Sykeon, cited
284,297
Life of Theodosius, cited 179,206
Malalas xxvi-xxviii, lviii
cited 37,47-9, 53,83,94-7,132-
3,137,143,160,162,164-5,
174,180,183,192-6,201,
203-4,208,236-7
ignored by Evagrius 180,213
see also Evagrius, sources
Malchus of Philadelphia, cited 130,
132,163
Marcellinus Comes, cited 10,44,
82,173,204
Marius Mercator, cited 10
Maurice Strategicon, cited 282
Menander Protector xxxiii,
cited 5,225,255,264,271-2,274,
281-3,293
Michael the Syrian xliii
cited 60,62,92,100,225,250,
255,261,291,306,314
Miracles xiii, xvii, xlv, 5,10,21,25,
37-8,40,57-9,64-5,79,
205-7,213-14,223-8,238-
42,279,311-13,315-16,
323-6
Miracles of S. Demetrius, cited
229,238
Monks 16,26,79,140-1,152,172-
5,206-7,210,238,240,245,
247,262
opponents of Chalcedon 72,78,
80,121-2,139,157-8,177,
257,261
praised by Evagrius 49-52,236-
40
388
INDEX
Monophysites xix -xx, xxxvii, xli-
xlvii, lx, 7-9,30-1,78-9,
84-5,92,116,137,144,147,
151-2,167-9,170,172-3,
176-7,194-6,200-1,209-
11,242-5,250-1,257,261-
2,264,314
tradition 59-60,204,317
Monotheletes lx
Moschus; see Pratum Spirituale
Mother of God; see Theotokos
Natural disasters 80-1,96,203
see also earthquakes
Nestorians xli-xlii, lx, 7,29,72-3,
144,168,210,245-6,267
Nicephorus Callistus xxvi, lx, 76
cited 213
Olympiodorus, cited 20,47
Oracle of Baalbek 192
Origenists xviii, xli, 237,243-5,249
Pagans xiv, xvii, xxii, xlvii, lvi, lviii,
22,29 33,36,176,186,191-
2,248,277-80,297,312
Gods 31-3
Palladius, Lausiac History, cited
239
Paschal Chronicle ; see Chronicon
Paschale
Paul the Silentiary, cited 5,63
Philostorgius, cited 5,186
Photius, Patriarch lv, lx
Bibliotheca, cited 91-2
Plague xiii-xiv, xvi. xxx, lii, lvi,
229-32,237,241
Plerophories xxv
cited 10,22-5,30,49,51,59,76,
78-80,84,86,92,95,123,
141,144-5,167,171,177,
206,242
Posidippus, cited 161
Positions, Ranks, Titles
adiutor 107
agensin rebus (magistrianus) 15,
107
apocrisarius 28,219,240,246
bicirchus 62
catholicus 267
comes 16,80
comes Aegypti 77,85
comes dome Stic or um 11,66,301
comes excubitorum 200,270,281
comesfoederatorum 194
comes Orientisxvii, lvii, 13,45,
203-4
comes reiprivatae 66
comes sacrarum largitionum 269
comes sacri consistorii 28
consul 66,82,163,201-2,256
consularis Syricie 45
cubicularius 61,82,201
curator 300
curator domus divinae Antiochi
257
curator domus divinae Marinae
269
curator domus divinae
Hormisdas 269,280,283
curopalatus lix, 254,256
domesticus 58,60,201
dux 89,181,212
exceptores, notaries,
stenographers 103,107,
281
magister equitum 78
magister militum 60,256
magister militum per Armenianx
TOPICS
389
magister militumper Orientem
45,98,162,265,274,281,
291-2
magister militum per Thracias
98,163
magister militumpraesentalis
lix, 66,163,165,200-2
magister officiorum 66,133,166,
173,180,200
oikonomos 146
patrician 66
praefectus Augustalis 77,89,
146,256
praefectus vigilum (Antioch)
164,174
praepositus sacri cubiculi 201
praetorian prefect (eastern) 36,
47,49,66,162,215-16,278
praetorian prefect (Italy) 82
prefect, urban 47,82,256
prefect, ex-prefect xv, 27,291,
317
primicerius 107
proconsul of Asia 28
quaestor xv, 212,271,317
rhetor xxvii, 26,42,57,76,96,98,
137,212,218,222,287
scholarii 200
scholasticus xiv, 26,175,249
silentiary 91,164-5
skeuophylax 172
spatharius 61
vindex, vindices 193
Pratum Spirituale xxv, xlv
cited 18,22,36,131,206,240,
262,291
Priscian, cited 185,193
Priscus of Panium xxvii, 59
cited 21,96
see also Evagrius, sources
Procopius of Caesarea xiii, xlix-1,
lix, 323-6
citations from:
Buildings 63,182,208,218,234,
236,262,266
Secret History 181,209,233
Wars 5,21,59,181,200,212-32,
324-6
see also Evagrius, sources
Procopius of Gaza, cited 185
Ps.-Zachariah, cited 5,25,169,
171-4,181-2,201,203-4,
209-11
Relics xiii, xvi, 37-8,43-4
Riots, violence 77,174,213,233,
236-7
religious xxxviii, 13,29,62,76-
80,85-8,94,122,173-5,
195-6
Rufinus, cited 146
Rufus, see Plerophories
Saints, see under individual names
or Life of
sacrae largitiones 184-5
Scriptores Historiae Augustae,
cited 84,183
Sebeos, cited 229,275
Severans; see Monophysites
Severus of Antioch, Letters, cited
7-8,145,158,171,176-8,
195,202,317
Socrates xx, xxiii, xxxix, xliii, xlvii,
lv, lx-lxi, 9,15,18
cited 4-8,10-12,20-1,25-6,30,
33,43,46,49,78,84,135,
148,188,190,291
390
INDEX
Sozomen xx, xliii, lv, lx-lxi, 30
cited 4-7,21,30,33,43,46,50,
148,186-7,189-90
Sudaxxv i, 188
Symeon Metaphrastes lx
cited 40
Synods, see Councils
Tabari, cited 308
Taxation 59,96,131,180-1,183-6,
188,192-3,218,232,273,
301
Themistius, cited 30
Theodore Lector xxiv, xli, 83,166
cited 5,25,28,34-6,77,87,89,
94,109,137,140-1,144-7,
150,152,154-7,162,167,
171-3
Theodore of Sykeon xix
Theodoret of Cyrrhus xix-xx, xlii-
xliv, lv, lx, 227
citations from:
Ecclesiastical History 4-9,30,
32,43,46,49,86,227,238-9
Religious History 35-8,50-1,91,
207
Theophanes xxvi, liii
cited 11,20,25-6,43,46,59,61,
79-80,82-3,85,89,97,99,
103,120,132,144,150,154,
159-60,162,164,166,170-
3,181,205,236,251,256,
262,274
Theophanes Byzantinus, cited 267
Theophylact xxxiii, lix-lx,
cited 5,33,38,63-5,84,206,229,
238,266,269,273-7,291-5,
300-3,305-12
Theotokos, Mother of God xxxi,
xxxv, 9-10,16-17,19,26,
72,74,114,120,125,135,
147,222,259-60,279-80
Three Chapters xliii, 169,242-7
Thucydides xiv
cited 22,229,246
Trisaghion 137,167,173,195-6
Venantius Fortunatus, cited 255
Victor of Vita, cited 155,214
Virgin Mary; see Theotokos
Xenophanes 32
Zachariah of Mitylene xxiii-xxv,
100-1,168,175,287
cited 5,9,21,25,61-2,68,76,78-
80,85-6,88-9,92-4,131,
133,138-9,144,147,150-53
Zonaras, cited 20,59,96,123,131,
164,187,230
Zosimus xxvii
cited 184,186-9
see also Evagrius, sources
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